On July 14, while the widely condemn ed Israeli siege of Lebanon and Palestine intensified, over 150 protestors staged a militant rally outside the Israeli consulate in Chicago. They demanded an immediate end to the aggression, an end to the colonial occupation of Palestine, and an immediate and complete withdrawal of U.S. forces from Iraq, the entire Middle East and everywhere.
Speaking at the rally, ANSWER Chicago organizer John Beacham said, “We
extend our unconditional solidarity to the people of
Palestine, Lebanon and
Iraq. The growing escalation of U.S.-Israeli aggression in the
Middle East is not in our interests. We thoroughly reject the racist and tired theme of blaming the people of
Lebanon and
Palestine whose whole societies are under assault.
“The U.S. backed Israeli attack on Palestine and Lebanon is part of a calculated offensive targeting and seeking to eliminate those who resist colonial occupation and U.S. imperialism in the Middle East. We demand that the U.S. immediately cease all aid to Israel and we demand and immediate end to U.S.-Israeli domination in the Middle East.”
Similar solidarity protests also were held in Washington D.C. and Seattle on July 14. There was a large protest in San Francisco on July 13 and there will be mobilizations in New York on July 18 and in Los Angeles on July 19.
All of these actions will help build for the Aug. 12 National Emergency March on Washington to defend the Palestinian and Lebanese people, initiated by the ANSWER Coalition, in partnership with the National Council of Arab Americans and the Muslim American Society Freedom Foundation. Regional demonstrations will happen on that date in San Francisco and Los Angeles.
