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CTV News
13-07-2025
- General
- CTV News
Kitchener-Waterloo festival celebrates Palestinian culture
The fourth annual KW Palestinian Day Festival returned to Carl Zehr Square in Kitchener on Saturday. The event was hosted by Sporas, a Waterloo Region-based organization that celebrates culture and people of Palestine. The Palestinian Youth Movement, a youth organization supporting The State of Palestine, was also involved in running the event. The festival saw over 4,000 attendees last year. Shatha Mahmoud, the organizer of the Palestinian Youth Movement said they're expecting a turnout of 7,000 this year. The goal is to share the history and culture of Palestine. 'Our purpose today is to communicate what's been happening on the ground in Gaza, but to also educate on the rest of Palestine and connect with the past and community, mourn with them, commemorate and recommit ourselves to the struggle for liberation,' she said. The festival had multiple vendors with different food, clothes, exhibits and crafts for everyone to see. Attendees were also able to enjoy live music, including a drum circle and other interactive activities. The street in front of the square was lined with Palestinian flags, history and displays discussing the ongoing conflict with Israel. Volunteers like Khadija Humera and Abdul Kareem Khazi said getting involved with the festival was meaningful to them. 'Especially during this time, it's important to gather as a community and show solidarity,' said 'I think that the best way to show solidarity is to show how many people are in on this and I wanted to be a part of that.' Khazi, a grade 9 student, said it was the perfect opportunity to show support and get volunteer hours for school. 'It's a good first experience and the community here is also very good. I would just rather be here,' he said. KW PALESTINIAN DAY FESTIVAL KITCHENER CARL ZEHR SQUARE The 4th annual Palestinian Day Festival returned to Kitchener's Carl Zehr Square, July 13, 2025 (Sidra Jafri/CTV News) Faaez Al-hendi, a vendor and sponsor at the festival, said the event is one everyone should attend, learn from and enjoy. 'The Palestinian cause is a deep and personal one but just for regular Canadians that might be out here today, it's a little bit about understanding that we're all equal at the end of the day. We're all the same. Every life matters, whether it's here or in Palestine.'
The Hindu
18-06-2025
- Politics
- The Hindu
Kerala CPI(M) secretary M.V. Govindan accuses UDF of distorting his remarks on Emergency-era alliance
The Communist Party of India (Marxist) [CPI(M)] has not made any political alliance with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) at any point in history, CPI(M) Kerala State secretary M.V. Govindan has said. He accused the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) and sections of the media of 'twisting' his recent comments to a television channel regarding the CPI(M) being a part of the Janata Party during the Emergency era, when Jana Sangh, the precursor to the Bharatiya Janata Party, was also a part of the umbrella alliance. Mr. Govindan was speaking to presspersons here on Wednesday (June 18, 2025), on the eve of the crucial Nilambur byelection. His comments had led to leaders of the UDF reiterating allegations of an understanding between the CPI(M) and the BJP, forcing LDF candidate M. Swaraj to explain the larger context of the umbrella alliance during the Emergency period. Mr. Govindan said that in the face of the 'semi-fascist rule of the Congress during the Emergency, during which democratic rights had ceased to exist, parties of various hues had come together to resist it.' 'Several parties, including the socialists and the Swatantra Party, were part of this larger alliance. The CPI(M) has never its history had a direct political alliance with the RSS or the BJP. Nor would it happen in the future. In the elections after the Emergency, EMS Namboodiripad had uncategorically stated that the CPI(M) did not want any any vote from the RSS,' said Mr. Govindan. Slams Congress He accused the Congress on the other hand of having electoral alliances with the BJP and Sangh Parivar organisations on multiple occasions. 'After the Liberation Struggle as well as later in Vadakara and Beypore, the Congress allied with the Sangh to defeat the LDF. But we were able to overcome these challenges and win the elections,' he said. He accused the Congress of 'whitewashing' Jamaat e-Islami, 'even though it has never rejected its original agenda of turning the nation into a theocracy.' 'For the first time, a democratic political organisation has allied with Jamaat e-Islami, which is acting as a counterpart to the RSS, which is implmenting a Hindutva agenda in the country. This act of the Congress and the Muslim League (IUML) with an eye on short term electoral gains will have long-term repercussions for our polity and the State. The LDF has taken a clear stance, rejecting both majority and minority communalism,' he said. Mr. Govindan also alleged that Raj Bhavan is bring turned into 'the nerve centre of communalism.' 'Photographs of RSS leaders Hedgewar and Golwalkar have now been placed at Raj Bhavan. We are wondering whether they would also place the photographs of Godse and Savarkar, as the RSS considers them to be more important than Gandhi,' he said. He also criticised the Kerala Governor's recent remarks against politicisation of higher educational institutions. 'Rather than rejecting all politics, we should be able to equip our students with the right kind of politics. How else would we get the next generation of leaders for the country?,' asked Mr. Govindan.
