Exactly one week after a boisterous gathering of approximately 150 people protesting the siege of Gaza in front of the Israeli consulate in Los Angeles, a smaller but equally militant crowd gathered there again on Dec. 11 to demand justice for the Palestinian people.
Carrying banners and signs reading, “End the siege of Gaza now,” and “Free Palestine: support the right of return,” protesters chanted, “From Iraq to Palestine, occupation is a crime” and “End the siege of Gaza now!” Many passing cars honked in support.
The demonstrations were called by over a dozen Arab American and Palestinian groups and the ANSWER Coalition (Act Now to Stop War and End Racism), among others. Members of the Party for Socialism and Liberation helped mobilize for and participated in both demonstrations.
The deafening silence of the world and the bourgeois media on the acts of collective punishment and slow genocide behind this ongoing humanitarian catastrophe—acts clearly illegal under international law—continue. The protest happened the day after the world “celebrated” the 60th anniversary of the International Declaration of Human Rights—the irony was not lost on the crowd.
Despite the current situation, all Palestinians, those in the West Bank and Gaza, inside the 1948 borders, and Palestinians in exile and their allies will not rest until all Palestinians can return to their homeland, and Palestine is free.
Long live Palestine!
