On 15 October 2019 an event was held at Baltimore’s Homewood Friends Meeting Quaker Community House on the topic of Israeli Vegan-Washing.

Sponsored by Vegans for BDS and Baltimore Palestine Solidarity, this event hosted a panel of speakers to speak on the issue of Vegan-Washing in Israel.

The presentation was facilitated by Danielle Williams, artist and vegan activist who spent the last two years living in the West Bank, Michael Addario (via Skype) who is a leader in the Canadian animal liberation movement, founder of “Animal Liberation Currents” publications, and who visited the Occupied Palestinian Territories in 2018, and Ahmad Safi (via Skype) a Palestinian organizer who founded the Palestine Animal League in 2011.

This event provided an opportunity for local organizing within the Baltimore vegan community, as well as a convergence of activists in both vegan and Palestine solidarity communities.

The greater Maryland state BDS network shared and participated in this event, expanding the awareness around the issue of Veganwashing within the state-wide BDS community. The presentation focused on the topics of the the Israeli occupation, “Brand Israel’s” efforts to distract the world from their daily crimes against the indigenous Palestinian population, and Palestinian vegan activists’ efforts to improve the welfare of animals, humans, and environment in the Occupied Territories.

Following the presentation, audience members were invited to participate in Q&A. Follow up questions centered on the issues of Zionism within the global animal rights movement and the challenges animal rights activists face within the Occupied Territories.