June 4, 2010

Activists across the country have a message for Israel: End the siege of Gaza now.

ISRAEL'S MURDEROUS attack on a flotilla of ships carrying humanitarian aid to Gaza on May 31 sparked protests across the U.S. to denounce the attack on fellow activists and Israel's ongoing assault on the Palestinian people.

In Chicago, about 1,000 people crowded onto the street in front of the Israeli consulate on June 1, forming an angry picket line with many people carrying Palestinian flags and also Turkish flags. They chanted, "Free the flotilla now. End Israel's piracy now!" and "Israel, Israel, what do you say? How many Turks have you killed today?"

Despite organizers having less than 48 hours to prepare for the demonstration, buses from Ohio, Wisconsin, Bridgeview, Ill., and other locations brought hundreds to join Chicago protesters. Members of American Muslims for Palestine, the Chicago International Solidarity Movement and the Free Gaza Movement were there in force.

Palestinian and Arab organizations were joined by activists from the International Jewish Anti-Zionist Network and Jewish Voice for Peace, as well as African Americans for Peace and Justice in Palestine/Israel.

Protesting in New York City against Israel's massacre of humanitarian activists on board the Gaza Freedom Flotilla

Protesters listened with rapt attention as speakers provided updates on the condition of flotilla members. Chicagoan Fatima Mohammadi, who was aboard the Mavi Marmara at the time of the attack, was missing at the time of the protest, but it has since been reported that she was in Israeli custody and awaiting deportation.

Speakers at the rally included Ali Abunimah of the Electronic Intifada, Awad Hamdan of American Muslims for Palestine and Kevin Clark of the Free Gaza Movement.

Organizers announced that the struggle to bring sorely needed aid to Gaza was far from over, as another flotilla was already on its way Gaza, an Irish ship the MV Rachel Corrie, named after the U.S. activist who was crushed beneath Israeli bulldozers as she protested the destruction of Palestinian homes in 2003.

Local activists are planning an action later in the week protest Chicago's "sister city" status with Petach Tikva, one of the first Jewish-only settlements in Palestine. Several speakers stressed boycott, divestment and sanctions (BDS) against Israel's apartheid, comparing it to the campaign that helped end apartheid in South Africa.

In a victory for BDS activism, just days after the raid on the humanitarian aid flotilla, students at Evergreen State College in Olympia, Wash.--Rachel Corrie's alma mater--announced that the student body voted overwhelmingly in support of divestment from companies that profit from the Israeli occupation.

A resounding 79.5 percent voted for divestment, and almost 72 percent voted to make their campus Caterpillar-free.

In New York City, Palestinian activists organized three emergency response rallies in a matter of days after the assault on the Freedom Flotilla for Gaza. More than 1,000 turned out to Times Square on Memorial Day. The actions were organized by several organizations, including Al-Awda NY, the Gaza Freedom March and American Muslims for Palestine.

In Boston, as many as 500 people turned out on May 31 after Palestine solidarity activists spread the word within hours of hearing about the attack on the humanitarian aid flotilla.

The loud, young protesters, many of them Arab and Muslim, marched through Downtown Crossing to Faneuil Hall and back to Park Street. They were greeted warmly by passersby. The next day, about 100 protesters came out again, and staged a die-in in front of the Israeli consulate.

In San Francisco, Palestinian activists and supporters turned out to two protests only days apart, 200 on May 31 and 400 the next day, in response to the murder and kidnapping of members of Gaza flotilla.

Medea Benjamin of Code Pink denounced Democratic Party California Sens. Dianne Feinstein and Barbara Boxer for repeatedly voting for aid to Israel. "We will not allow them to spend our money on this murderous state [Israel]," she said.

Palestinian activist Senan Khairie explained,

Just the fact that they attacked the ships in international waters--that they attacked unarmed civilians--shows the brutality of the Israeli Army and the fact that they are afraid of activists breaking the blockade of Gaza. It is a shame that that the rest of the world wasn't doing a thing to stop the blockade. This attack should awaken progressive people of the world to do something about it.

A recurring theme during the protest was the need for building a grassroots response to stop American aid to Israel and to spread the BDS movement to isolate Israel. This is especially important because the U.S. and the UN are shielding Israel--at most calling for a "thorough investigation" to be conducted by Israel itself.

We have to build the kind of pressure from below that exact a toll from governments that stand by Israel. Pro-Palestinian activists the world over are taking up this fight. Protests were spreading worldwide, notably in Istanbul and Greece, where marchers attacked the Israeli consulate.

And the BDS movement is gaining ground, winning the support of unions, cities, universities and artists--for example, musician Elvis Costello's recent cancellation of his performances scheduled in Israel.

In Los Angeles, 400 rallied at the Israeli consulate on June 1, waving Palestinian flags and signs that called for "Justice for the heroes of the Free Gaza Flotilla," "Free Palestine" and "Stop U.S. funding of Israel's terror."

The crowd, which included Palestinian students, families and solidarity activists, expressed their horror and anger. Significantly, the pro-Israel supporters that usually make a presence across the street from these protests didn't appear today--apparently even they could not defend Israel's actions this time.

Speakers from Al-Awda-The Palestine Right to Return Coalition, BDS-LA and others emphasized the importance of the growing struggle for justice for Palestinians internationally, the growing awareness of nature of the Israeli state and the need for continued pressure on the Obama administration to end its defense of Israel.

In Washington, D.C., 300 people picketed at the Israeli embassy the day after the savage Israeli assault on the Gaza Freedom flotilla. In the blazing Memorial Day heat, marchers--many of whom heard about the emergency action just hours before via e-mail and text messages--carried signs and banners and chanted "Shut down the embassy, Stop Israeli piracy."

The crowd, which included many young people and a large number of participants from the Arab community, picketed around the Israeli embassy's perimeter. A popular chant was "Not another dollar, not another dime. No more money for Israel's crimes."

After the two-hour protest, many demonstrators many made their way to another demonstration in front of the White House, a small contingent of them marching the three miles with signs, banners and flags.

Several groups organized for the event, including Code Pink, the ANSWER Coalition, the Washington Interfaith Alliance for Middle East Peace, DCMetroBDS, the U.S. Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation, the International Socialist Organization, Veterans for Peace and many others.

Some protesters were preparing to return to the White House the next day for a previously planned demonstration to coincide with Obama's meeting with Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

In Atlanta, as many as 200 protesters gathered at the Israeli consulate in a response to a call by the local grassroots Movement to End Israeli Apartheid Georgia which was formed in January 2009 after Israel's siege on Gaza.

The demonstration was mostly comprised of the Arab and Persian communities and local progressives. By far the most vocal of the crowd was a small group of high school-aged Palestinians wearing keffiyehs and face paint.

Petitions were being handed around to make local politicians aware of the general upset over the situation, and to put pressure on Georgia State University President Mark Becker over the Georgia International Law Enforcement Exchange, which facilitates police training exchanges through GSU between Atlanta and Israel.

In Portland, Ore., 150 people gathered on Monday evening and marched through downtown Portland for over an hour, chanting "Palestine under attack! What do we do? Stand up, fight back!"

The march was organized in a matter of hours by Students United for Palestinian Equal Rights, Americans United for Palestinian Human Rights and the Portland Peaceful Response Coalition. Representatives of these groups, as well as organizations such as the National Lawyer's Guild and Amnesty International, took turns speaking to the crowd.

A great deal of emphasis was put on the potential of the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement and many signs carried by protesters had "BDS" written on the back. A human rights lawyer stated that, in this conflict, the U.S. is the issue, as it is the main political and financial supporter of Israel and that this "implicates us every step of the way."

In San Diego, Students for Justice in Palestine members at the University of California called on students and faculty to gather for a silent emergency response.

Wearing all black, more than 100 people marched around the chancellor's complex and the student center with a banner "End the humanitarian Gaza crisis now" and chanting "Hey, hey, ho, ho! The occupation has got to go!"

One student held a sign that read, "This was not a confrontation, this was a massacre," countering the justification by the Israeli government that its military commandoes were defending themselves from the activists onboard.

After the march, protesters sat in the middle of the Library Walk as they listened to speakers. Graduate student Lila Sharif explained how the activists on board the flotilla prepared for the confrontation by raising white flags to show they were coming in peace, but the Israel military instead opened fire before seizing the ships.

"Gaza is under siege," said Sharif. "The air, land and water ports have been closed off--Palestinians live in an open-air prison. Palestinians have been living this every single day! The siege of Gaza needs to end and free those people that were trying to bring aid!"

Over a dozen people stood side by side to represent those who had so far been killed in the raid. Remembering the fallen, a former member of the Israel Defense Force (IDF) said that the IDF opened fire killing unarmed civilians whose only crime was oppose the state of Israel. "They gave their lives to peace and justice."

Another speaker talked about the survivors of the Israeli commando attack. "Let us not forget about the 681 that are risking their lives for the betterment of the Palestinians. Let us not forget about the people fighting for justice and human rights!"

Organizers gathered signatures to a petition calling on Rep. Susan Davis (D-Calif.) to condemn the attacks on humanitarian aid activists just like leaders of France, Sweden, Turkey, Greece and Spain have already done. They also asked Davis to demand an end to the humanitarian aid blockade on the Gaza Strip, and that the Israeli government be held accountable to the laws passed by the Geneva Convention and the UN.

The protest ended with a moment of silence in honor of the slain activists.

A downpour of rain couldn't stop 75 activists at the University of Wisconsin (UW) in Madison from voicing their opposition to Israel's war crimes on June 2.

"I'm frustrated by what Israel gets away with," said UW freshman Kris Didrickson, who saw a poster for the protest shortly before it began and rushed over to join it. "If it was Iran [attacking a ship], we probably would've started a war over it."

The protest was organized by activists from Madison-Rafah Sister City Project, Madison Area Peace Coalition, the International Socialist Organization and American Jews for a Just Peace. The same group is planning an educational teach-in on Palestine on June 4, followed by a candlelight march up State Street, which connects the campus to the state capitol building.

Friday is a significant day to hold a teach-in, organizer Anna Day explained, because it's the one-year anniversary of Obama's speech in Cairo, where he called for an end to Israel's illegal settlements in Palestine.

Students for Justice in Palestine chapters on several campuses are planning events that day to hold Obama and Israel to that demand, Day said, including an educational event at Texas A & M University and a University of California Berkeley student march on the Israeli consulate. Faculty members at Penn State and Purdue University are also organizing petitions for referenda against Israel's flotilla attack.

The Madison teach-in will feature eyewitness testimony from Gaza's siege and aims to connect the recent attack to the wider questions of Israeli occupation.

In the words of Madison West High School senior Zeyad El Omari, "I'm Palestinian, and my view is that we need one peaceful state, with Israelis and Palestinians living in peace and in equality."

In Austin, Texas, about 50 activists came out on May 31, many holding signs with information about what has been banned from Gaza during Israel's blockade. Braving the Texas sun for three hours, protesters chanted, "Netanyahu you can't hide! We charge you with genocide!" and "Justice is on demand, there'll be no peace on stolen land." A vigil was also in the works for the next day.

In Charlotte, N.C., 30 protesters, including students and members of the Palestinian community, picketed and made plans for a peace vigil later in the week.

In Rochester, N.Y., some 25 people turned out to a protest at the Federal Building. Among the demands were justice for the victims of the attack on the humanitarian aid flotilla, and end to U.S. funding to Israel and a boycott of Israeli goods until the siege of Gaza is ended.

A number of activists had friends on the convoy who they had yet to hear from as many of the boats' passengers had been detained.