“From the river to the sea: Palestine will be free!” chanted a crowd of several thousand at a rally in support of the Palestinian struggle, across the avenue from the Israeli Embassy in New York City on Monday.
The demonstration was brought together by a range of New York City groups, including the young Palestinian-led organization Within Our Lifetime, several college Students for Justice in Palestine groups, as well as Decolonize this Space a group that has been involved in some museum protests and Black Lives Matter. As the demonstration also fell on Indigenous Peoples’ Day, other groups formed themselves into contingents in support of the Palestinian cause. This is an important development as these various groups are coming together with the understanding that what links their apparently disparate oppression might be the same system enforced by those in power.
After a couple of hours, the rally moved on to take the streets, and wound its way over many blocks to the Plaza across from the United Nations. All along, the chants of “Free free Palestine” were interspersed with others such as “Israel, you can’t hide, we charge you with genocide,” “It is right to rebel, Israel go to hell,” “Resistance is justified when people are occupied”, and the more radical “There is only one solution, Intifada revolution”. “We will be free Palestine, within our lifetime” echoed the organizers’ name, as well as the real sentiment felt by the crowd.
Most of the signs that people held were handmade. “Free Palestine” was seen everywhere, as well as those condemning “settler-colonialism” and US aid to Israel. Perhaps the most trenchant point was made by a young woman holding a sign that read: “This was an ATTACK RESPONSE to colonization, occupation, open air prison, ethnic cleansing.”
As was expected, the press has had a field day denouncing the rallies as well as the attacks by Hamas (while glossing over life for Palestinians under occupation, which has included shooting of civilians, mass bombings of neighborhoods, and repression of every sort).
Politicians of all stripes, not to be outdone, fell over themselves to condemn the pro-Palestinian rallies, as “abhorrent and morally repugnant (NY Democratic Governor Kathy Hochul) and comparing pro-Palestinian protestors to “extremists” who support “terrorism” (NYC Mayor Eric Adams).
Accusations of antisemitism were made about the rally the previous day in Times Square. Of course there is no place for antisemitism in our movement, and it should not be confused with a legitimate opposition to the Zionist project. A few press accounts have tried to discredit all pro-Palestinian demonstrations by using an unconfirmed (and suspicious looking) photograph of one demonstrator Sunday holding up a mobile phone with an image of a swastika. Such imagery is always repugnant and those sentiments should never be allowed in any demonstration, and should be unequivocally denounced by organizers. Even if that photo is found to be legitimate, none of that was visible at the larger and more diverse demonstration the following day.
The march and rally demonstrated Palestinians will continue to stand up to the oppression they are facing daily. They will fight to regain their homes and their lands, and the struggle will continue until Palestine is free. And just as importantly, they are not alone in this fight, as they are gathering their allies and comrades-in-arms for the struggles to come. We are at this very moment witnessing the brutal and murderous attacks that Israel is meting out. Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, announced their “full offense” against the Gaza Strip, by releasing “all restraints, ordering a full siege of the Gaza Strip with “no electricity, no food, no fuel, everything is closed.”
The Monday rally took place on the third day of Israeli air strikes in Gaza, flattening entire neighborhoods and seemingly preparing for a ground invasion. This with the help of the US military machine, as US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin is promising the unwavering US support for Israel, and committing “to expedite air defense capabilities and munitions in support of their efforts.” In his address on Tuesday, Joe Biden also affirmed “surging additional military assistance, including ammunition and interceptors to replenish Iron Dome.” The first new US weapons shipments have now arrived in Israel, guaranteeing even more bloodshed in the coming days. The Palestinian people have already suffered 75 years of Occupation, with all its brutality and horrors, but they and their supporters around the world are not going anywhere.
M. N. Dahan
Marx21 US 