Surfers for Palestine to host screening in Torquay

SURFERS for Palestine will host a special film screening in Torquay to help raise awareness of the ongoing struggles of the Palestinian surfing community.

Gaza Surf Club will be shown on Thursday, September 11 at Bells Beach Brewing and will showcase the lives of Palestinians who continue to live and surf under Israeli military occupation.

Screenings of Gaza Surf Club aim to create a movement of surfers and surfing organisations in Australia calling for the World Surf League to sanction Israel from competing until the occupation of Palestine has ended and local surfers can ride freely.

Surfers for Palestine’s position is that is if Israeli athletes want to compete under the world flag, they should publicly oppose the violence in Gaza, reject Israeli occupation, and stand for Palestinian human rights.

 

Hamas killed nearly 1,200 people and took 251 hostages in its attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, and Israel’s military campaign in response has killed tens of thousands of Palestinians in both Gaza and the West Bank over the past 23 months.

Gaza surfer Rawand Abu Ghanem said as the first female surfer in Gaza, she appreciated communities such as Torquay standing side by side with Palestinian surfers to ban Israel from participating in the sport.

“I want to indicate to the point that I as a female surfer deserve to practice my hobby in peace without fears, to surf in calm without destroyed, to live in peace without wars.

“To all my friends, I wish the day that I can share waves together with you and travel to see you all and enjoying in the sea. Do the best to stop this war to be survive and work together.”

Torquay event organiser Lachlan Buckley said grassroots campaigns such as this can be used as a tool to build community and raise awareness.

“I usually can’t catch waves due to swell height or my sloppy pop up but imagine not being able to catch a wave because you would be shot at if you tried to access the ocean.

“That’s what’s happening in Gaza right now. If Palestinians enter the water, they risk being shot at or bombed by the Israeli military.”

Founding member of Surfers for Palestine Aref Taleb said the ocean and water connected those Wadawurrung Country to surfers and ocean lovers in Gaza.

“All ocean lovers know the freedom the ocean brings to our lives, and we are on a mission to harness that feeling to support the liberation of all oppressed people.”

The Torquay show will run from 6.30pm to 9pm.

The event is ticketed but all proceeds raised from the $10 price will go to Doctors Without Borders.