Action Alert:
As Israel continued to pound Gaza from the air, mass demonstrations once again took place throughout the country Jan. 2. Additional demonstrations were called in response to the ground assault launched by Israel on Jan. 3.
The mass response to the U.S.-backed Israeli atrocities proves that the courageous people of Palestine are not alone in their struggle. Below is a small sample of the recent demonstrations. Additional reports will be added as they come in.
Chicago, Ill.
On Jan. 2, over 6,000 Palestinians and their supporters descended on downtown Chicago to march on the Israeli consulate. Protesters demanded an immediate end to the Israeli siege of Gaza.
Despite below-freezing temperatures, demonstrators chanted, “End the Siege on Gaza Now!” and “Free Palestine!” for nearly three hours. Thousands of young people came out for this very important action.
In front of the Israeli consulate, the street was dotted with Palestinian flags, banners and placards. Many of the signs read, “Israel: Guilty of War Crimes!”
The militant protest came on the heels of a week of emergency actions called in Chicago to defend the people of Gaza. All over the United States, tens of thousands have taken to the streets over the last week to voice their resistance to the U.S.-supported Israeli atrocities being committed against Gaza.
The action was the largest pro-Palestinian event held in Chicago in many years. The spirit of the march was one of defiance and a desire to take immediate action. Demonstrators showed that, despite the endless stream of racist, pro-Israeli commentary flooding the airwaves and newspaper pages, the people of Gaza are not alone in their struggle.
Awad Hamdan of American Muslims for Palestine, one of the organizers of the protest, said: “This was a very, very important protest. Today, we stood together and showed the Israeli government and the U.S. government that we are not afraid of them. We showed them that the people of Chicago and the world stand with Palestine.”
Speakers at the protest voiced their unconditional support for the people of Gaza and Palestine. ANSWER Coalition’s John Beacham told the crowd: “There are no terrorists in Palestine. The terrorists are in Israel and Washington. The siege and the bombing of Gaza—that is terrorism.”
Other speakers at the demonstration included representatives from the many organizations that sponsored the event, including the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee – Chicago, American Muslims for Palestine, ANSWER Chicago, Arab American Action Network, Chicago Coalition Against War and Racism, International Solidarity Movement – Chicago, Islamic Community Center of Illinois, Mosque Foundation, Muslim American Society Freedom Foundation, Palestinian American Community Center and Palestine Solidarity Group – Chicago.
Washington, D.C.
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Thousands demonstrated Jan. 2 at the Israeli Embassy in Washington, D.C. Like the large demonstration at the U.S. State Department a few days earlier, the crowd included many families with young children and teenagers. Speakers included Mara Verheyden-Hilliard, co-founder of the Partnership for Civil Justice,; Mahdi Bray, executive director of Muslim American Society Freedom; Mounzer Sleiman, vice chair of the National Council of Arab Americans; and Brian Becker, national coordinator of the ANSWER Coalition.
Verheyden-Hilliard spoke out against the killing of children and civilians, expressing solidarity with parents in Palestine whose children are being killed by Israeli bombs. “How do you explain that to your children, when they say to you, ‘Mama, Daddy, when will it stop?’ and you can’t answer them,” she said.
“This is a U.S.-backed Israeli atrocity and justice demands that the United States government cut all aid to Israel today,” Becker noted. “Otherwise, and because of it, the U.S. is guilty of war crimes too.”
The group marched to the Egyptian embassy to protest the Egyptian puppet regime’s complicity. The Mubarak regime has kept the crossing between Egypt and Gaza closed and pushed back Palestinians attempting to flee the slaughter. After the demonstration at the Egyptian Embassy, protesters headed to Connecticut Avenue, drawing support from rush-hour commuters at that major thoroughfare.
Los Angeles, Calif.
Over 3,000 people massed outside the Israeli consulate in Los Angeles to continue the wave of mass protests against the merciless bombing of Palestinians in Gaza. The action came just one day after the New Year and only three days after another protest of thousands in Los Angeles.
The many Arab families and young people who attended showed intense outrage at Israel’s bombing of hospitals, schools, homes and mosques. “Israel is a racist state! Israel is a terrorist state! Free, free Palestine!” was the most popular chant of the evening.
Palestinian youth climbed a 20-foot streetlight on Wilshire Blvd. and placed a Palestinian flag at the top. Others jumped up and down while chanting in Arabic, demanding an end to the genocidal bombing and siege of Gaza.
Despite the heavy police presence meant to intimidate the protesters, people burned nearly a dozen Israeli flags and militantly faced off against a small crowd of Zionists across the street.
The protest was initiated by Al-Awda, the Palestine Right to Return Coalition. The ANSWER Coalition fully mobilized its members and provided the main logistical support for the action, including the booming sound system. Other Palestinian and Muslim organizations, including the Free Palestine Alliance, the National Council of Arab Americans and the Islamic Shura Council of Southern California, also supported the action.
San Francisco, Calif.
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As the genocidal Israeli bombing of Gaza barreled on and threats of a ground invasion loomed, demonstrators gathered at 2:30 p.m. on Jan. 2 to demand an immediate stop to the indiscriminate attacks.
The crowd that turned out at Powell and Market streets spanned all ages and all nationalities, with militant Palestinian youth chanting energetically throughout the duration of the event. Nearly 1,000 people came out to stand in solidarity with the people of Palestine.
Following the rally, the militant demonstrators took to the streets, determined to let their demands be heard loud and clear. The crowd wound through San Francisco, bolstered by cheers from pedestrians and honks of support from cars halted by the march. The march stopped in front of the Israeli consulate, and another rally was held with chants of “Free Palestine!” and “Stop bombing Gaza!” yelled so loudly they must have been heard inside.
The determined crowd then resumed their march. Encountering a group of Zionist provocateurs, Palestinian youth militantly confronted the racist forces, burning an Israeli flag as a gesture of symbolic resistance against Israeli aggression and colonialism. Demonstrators headed back to U.N. Plaza, where a closing rally was held.
The action was organized by activists in the Bay Area Arab community and co-sponsored by the ANSWER Coalition, Arab Resource and Organizing Center, Al-Awda—the Palestine Right of Return Coalition, American Muslims for Palestine, General Union of Palestine Students, Students for Justice in Palestine, National Council of Arab Americans, Free Palestine Alliance, and the International Solidarity Movement. Protesters vowed to continue to take the streets until the U.S.-backed Israeli military ends its ruthless siege of Gaza.
On Jan. 3, just hours after the ground invasion of Gaza begun, committed activists quickly mobilized to make phone calls and issue email announcements to pull together an emergency demonstration. That same day, 1,200 people gathered at the busy Powell and Market intersection for a rally. The crowd, energized by the militancy of the Palestinian youth, marched to Civic Center, where a closing rally denouncing the latest round of U.S.-Israeli atrocities was held.
San Jose, Calif.
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Marching through the nearby Santana Row shopping center, protesters chanted: “One, two, three, four, we don’t want your racist war! Five, six, seven, eight, Israel is a racist state!”
At one point, a Valley Transportation Authority bus stopped at the light and the driver yelled out, “Free Palestine!” Many passing motorists honked in support of the protest, which was co-sponsored by South Bay Mobilization, San Jose Peace and Justice Center, and Muslim American Society Freedom, and endorsed by ANSWER Coalition, San Francisco Bay Area.
There was relatively decent coverage by television channels 4 and 7. Pacifica radio station KPFA interviewed one of the organizers, and a reporter from the San Jose Mercury News was also present.
Boston, Mass.
More than 1,500 people braved the cold weather Jan. 2 to protest against the Israeli bombings on Gaza and to stand in solidarity with the people of Palestine. The emergency protest was called by an ad hoc coalition of more than a dozen organizations, including the ANSWER Coalition, Palestine Cultural Center for Peace, Greater Boston Stop the Wars Coalition, International Action Center, Arab American Anti Discrimination Committee, Iraq Veterans Against the War and many others.
The opening rally was followed by a march along the busy streets of Boston, passing the Israeli consulate and a military recruitment center. As the large group marched past both points, chants included “Hey, Israel, what do you say? How many kids have you killed today?” and “One, two, three, four, stop the killing, stop the war! Five, six, seven, eight, Israel is a terrorist state!” Speakers at the opening and closing rallies expressed both pain and anger at the atrocities of the Israeli state.
ANSWER activists showed their support by handing out placards with demands such as, “Support the Right of Return” and “End the Blockade of Gaza Now,” as well as hundreds of flyers publicizing the upcoming March 21 March on the Pentagon on the 6th anniversary of the Iraq war. The flyers highlighted the massacre of the people of Gaza by U.S.-backed Israeli forces.
The people of Boston made it clear they will not stay silent, chanting: “When Palestine is under attack, what do we do? Stand up, fight back!”
Seattle, Wash.
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As many as 1,000 demonstrators took to the streets in Seattle Jan. 2 to demand an immediate end to the bombing and invasion of Gaza.
Hundreds of people rallied at Westlake Park in downtown Seattle at noon and listened to speakers, including Rev. Sandy Brown of the United Methodist church; Roberto Maestas, director of El Centro de la Raza; and Jane Cutter, coordinator of ANSWER Seattle.
By 12:45 p.m., the crowd was marching, led by a contingent of Palestinian children carrying a doll in a mock-stretcher. Children wore signs reading, “Am I your next target?” Demonstrators enthusiastically chanted “Free, free Palestine” and “Look at where your taxes go!”
The demonstration was organized by the group Voices of Palestine and co-sponsored by the Arab American Community Coalition, ANSWER Seattle, Palestine Solidarity Committee, St Mark’s Cathedral, American Jews for a Just Peace and others.
New Haven, Conn.
In response to the ground invasion of Gaza, ANSWER Connecticut called an emergency protest on Jan. 4. One hundred people rallied on the steps of the Federal Courthouse on less than 24 hours notice. Many leading activists from the New Haven area spoke at the demonstration, including Tahnee Stair and Chris Garaffa of the ANSWER Coalition, and Jamilah Rasheed of the Connecticut Islamic Speakers Bureau. Cars and buses honked in support of the protesters.
Garaffa called for ongoing local demonstrations in support of the Palestinian people and encouraged everyone to go to Washington, D.C. on Jan. 10 for the National March on Washington in solidarity with the people of Gaza.
Sioux Falls, S.D.
On Jan. 2, the Islamic Center held a demonstration calling for an end to the Israeli siege of Gaza. Braving the cold weather, around 30 people stood in the snow chanting, “Free Palestine” and “Stop killing Palestinian children” while cars slowed down to see what was happening.
The local newspaper, the Argus Leader, used its coverage of the demonstration as an opportunity to defend Israel—hardly different from the coverage of protests around the country provided by most corporate media.
Amanda Todd, Ian Thompson, Jane Cutter, Jennifer Zaldana, John Beacham, Jon Britton, Neil Thomas, Rachel Reynolds and Sunil Freeman contributed to these reports.
