Above photo: Arab Americans “Stand with Palestine” in Dearborn, Michigan. | Fight Back! News/staff.
NOTE: Today, in Washington, DC, thousands of activists with If Not Now have shut down four entrances to the White House demanding a ceasefire by Israel. Rallies are taking place across the country. Below are a few reports of actions posted by FightBack News. Find an action near you at the Calendar of Resistance for Palestine created by Samidoun Palestinian Prisoner Solidarity Network.
St. Paul vigil shows solidarity with Palestine as Israel bombs Gaza
St. Paul, MN – On Friday, October 13, 70 Palestine solidarity activists answered the Palestinian Resistance’s call for a global day of action by attending the weekly Justice for Palestine vigil hosted by Women Against Military Madness (WAMM) on a busy intersection near Macalester College. The pouring rain did not stop protesters from coming to express their outrage at the U.S. funding and unconditional support for the horrific, genocidal war being waged by Israel on Gaza, Palestine.
With the Palestinian flag flying, activists held banners and signs such as “End to U.S. aid to Israel,” “Stop bombing Gaza,” “Stop killing Palestinians” and “Let Palestine live!”
The demonstrators chanted loudly, “Resistance is justified when Palestine is occupied,” “Netanyahu you can’t hide, we charge you with genocide”, and “Gaza, Gaza don’t you cry, Palestine will never die!” The response from drivers passing by was overwhelmingly positive and frequently the honks and thumbs up were nonstop.
Sara Olson, a regular at the weekly vigil said, “What can we do here in the United States to help the people in Gaza in any way? While we may wish to condemn the Israeli settler government and its military, the IDF, for its genocidal slaughter of innocent civilians, we are better off condemning those of our leaders who support this mass murder with pure political exploitative glee. These politicians, clergy persons, military automatons, media propagandists must not be allowed to skate criticism for their bloodthirstiness.”
“What is happening in Palestine is settler colonialism, military occupation, land theft and ethnic cleansing since 1948 on a daily basis,“ said Noor Shami, a Palestinian who drove up from Eau Claire, Wisconsin to attend the bannering.
“Israel is turning Gaza into rubble. Israel has bombed Gaza more in six days than the U.S. did in Afghanistan in a year. People in Gaza have nowhere to go. And when people try to flee into Egypt they are bombed. It’s disgusting that the Biden administration keeps demanding we stand with Israel, while he remains quiet while Israel commits more and more war crimes. We need to be loud in our opposition to the U.S. support for Israel’s war,” said Meredith Aby from the Anti-war Committee with righteous anger.
The fifth event this week in the Twin Cities to Stand with Palestine, will be a rally and march at 3 p.m. at Bryant Avenue S and E 31st Street in Minneapolis on Sunday, organized by the Anti-war Committee, American Muslims for Palestine, and Students for Justice in Palestine.
Hundreds at Tampa City Hall for pro-Palestine press conference
Tampa, FL – In a scene echoed throughout the world October 13, hundreds of community members came out in support of Palestine and the people of Gaza. A press conference was held in front of Tampa City Hall in response to a call from the Palestinian resistance to stand in solidarity. Leaders of a diverse array of groups spoke about the ongoing genocide in Gaza, as electricity, food, aid and internet have been cut off in preparation for a ground invasion.
Protesters also wanted to condemn law enforcement for their unequal treatment of Zionist and Palestinian protesters. Last Sunday, Tampa police protected Zionist reactionaries who showed up to harass pro-Palestine activists. The press conference was intended to call out the complicity and backing of the U.S. government in this ongoing process of genocide, and to demand an end to U.S. aid to Israel.
Describing the carnage going on in Gaza, speaker Leali Shalabi, with Resistance of Tampa Bay, said, “40% of the region is rubble; 1500 Palestinians have died.”
Aida Mackic, one of the organizers explained that, in Gaza, “19 health centers have been impacted, 20 ambulances have been destroyed, 48 schools were destroyed.”
Speaking about the connection between Tampa law enforcement and Israeli oppression, Lama Alhasan of Dream Defenders said, “Police are trained with the same tactics of police brutality used by Occupying forces, that’s why Black activists have rightfully connected the Palestinian struggle to the struggle for Black liberation here in the U.S.”
Laura Rodriguez, member of Tampa Bay Community Action Committee and one of the Tampa 5, also spoke about the connection that Palestinians experience and the oppression that Puerto Ricans experience, as victims of U.S. imperialism.
Joseph Nohava, of Freedom Road Socialist Organization (FRSO), summed up his speech by quoting famed Palestinian revolutionary Leila Khaled, “The supreme objective of the Palestinian liberation movement is the total liberation of Palestine, the dismantlement of the Zionist state apparatus, and the construction of a socialist society in which both Arabs and Jews can live in peace and harmony!” Nohava said that the FRSO would continue standing with Palestinians until that day.
After the press conference, the community marched through downtown Tampa to Joe Chillura Courthouse Square, shouting “It is right to rebel, Israel go to hell!” and “Israel you can’t hide, you’re committing genocide!”
The press conference was organized by the Dream Defenders and the Council on American Islamic Relations of Florida, Tampa Bay Community Action Committee, 200 Muslim Women Who Care, the Party for Socialism and Liberation, Muslims for Democracy and Fairness, and the Freedom Road Socialist Organization.
New Orleans declares loud and clear: Solidarity with the Palestinian struggle!
Harvey, LA – On October 14, over 100 protesters gathered at a busy intersection at the heart of Harvey’s Arab community to declare unconditional support for the Palestinian people’s resistance movement. People of all ages gathered at the intersection of Lapalco and Manhattan Boulevards waving Palestinian flags and carrying signs reading, “Occupation is a crime!” and “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free.”
The rally began with a vigil honoring and mourning the lives lost in Gaza and the West Bank. After being led in a mourner’s kaddish, a Jewish prayer, speakers from the New Orleans Palestinian community spoke on their personal struggles, their fury, and why firm solidarity with the Palestinian people is more important than ever.
“We say, ‘Shame on them, shame on these people who stand for apartheid and colonialism! We will forever scream Palestine from the rooftops!’” said Aishah Abdallah, a Palestinian student at University of New Orleans.
Abdallah continued, “It’s not a complex conflict like the media is trying to tell us; we as Palestinians have the right to our land. Decolonization is not just some academic papers or a pretty concept. Decolonization is action. Decolonization is us!”
As more speakers came to share their support and stories, there were honks, shouts and waves from passing cars whose passengers waved Palestinian flags and cheered on the rally. Adam Pedesclaux from Students United condemned Israel’s violent war machine, saying “it is fueled by weapons and money from the governments of the United States and Europe.”
Pedesclaux continued, “Israel is second in the world for money spent per capita on their military, even more than the United States. It makes sense, because they have a lot to be afraid of, since they terrorize countries in the Middle East and Northern Africa, bringing violence and terror.”
Despite threats of violence made to pro-Palestine organizers, this rally and vigil carried on. It followed a powerful march initiated by the Palestinian community in downtown New Orleans the previous Monday. The big march inspired this local community rally.
Chants of “There is only one solution! Intifada, revolution!” and “Intifada, intifada, long live the intifada!” asserted the right of the Palestinian people to resist occupation and genocide by any means necessary. The crowd’s energy and volume carried over the noise of the crowded intersection and drowned out random hecklers and engine noise.
As the rally died down, much of the crowd remained to chant and express solidarity and condolences, making their message clear: the people of New Orleans stand in unity with the Palestinian struggle for liberation.
Michigan Arab American community rallies in support of Palestine
Dearborn, MI – On October 14, well over 2000 people took the streets of Dearborn, Michigan, marching despite the cold and heavy rain. After a week of near daily demonstrations in metro Detroit, the largest demonstration yet was organized by the Palestinian Youth Movement-Detroit, in collaboration with local chapters of Students for Justice in Palestine and others.
On October 7, after decades of oppression, and after months of sharp escalation by Israel, a coalition of Palestinian resistance groups broke through the walls of Gaza, often described as the world’s largest open-air prison. Gaza, Palestine is home to 2.3 million people, the most densely populated place in the world. The Palestinian resistance began an unprecedented campaign – known as Al-Aqsa Flood – of liberating stolen land, occupying military checkpoints, and capturing IDF military leadership.
In response to this highly asymmetrical campaign, Israel has blocked all movement of goods and people in or out of Gaza including food, water, fuel and medical supplies. This is a war crime as defined by the United Nations. Dearborn and Detroit join thousands of cities, and millions of the Palestinians around the world, demonstrating their support for Palestine during this historic time.
The rally began with speeches offering historical context about the occupation and the experiences of families living in occupied Palestine. One Arab American woman spoke adamantly, “If you are here for anything less than the absolute freedom of Palestinians and their rights, you are at the wrong protest! We are here for an end to the apartheid state of Israel and for every Palestinian to return to their homes, no compromise!”
There were isolated attempts by Zionist reactionaries to disrupt the event, but activists designated for security roles minimized their impact. The rally then set off on a mile-long march to a nearby high school where police attempted to block the march. Organizers directed the march to the open campus of the high school to regather its forces, then retook the streets in a mile long march back to where the event started.
Palestine Youth Movement (PYM) have a policy of non-cooperation with the police. PYM raises that the police enact the same violence in the U.S. to control land, resources and people as Zionist forces do in Palestine. During the march, many in the neighborhood came out of their houses to support the march, waving their own Palestinian flags, and some even joined the march.
There was a wide variety of chants, including “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free!”, and Intifada, intifada, long live the intifada!” Another chant translated from Arabic to English is “With soul! With blood! We will free you Al-Aqsa!”
PYM-Detroit organizer Irshad Reza said, “When Palestine stands, we stand with them without compromise, condition, or hesitation. We were able to mobilize our people and supporters on this basis and recruit some of them to help us with this work moving forward. We will continue to grow and fight back until the complete liberation of Palestine.”