After three weeks of bombing, and as the Israeli Defense Forces started entering Gaza, last weekend hundreds of thousands protested in solidarity with Palestine around the world. Here we report on four US protests on Saturday, the 28th, with Victor Fernandez and Clare Fester from Los Angeles, Eric Fretz in New York City, Nathanial in Phoenix, and Annon from Portland OR.
END THE SIEGE ON GAZA: Emergency Protest, Los Angeles, October 28
Many thousands gathered for a protest Saturday called by the Palestinian Youth Movement, along with Al-Awda, the Muslim American Society in LA, and others. We started with a 2pm rally in Pershing Square where speakers railed against the Israeli attacks. Speakers included Students for Justice in Palestine members and Cornel West. Hundreds more joined us as we marched through downtown LA.
This protest, on the 28th, follows another one of 15,000 in LA the Saturday before.
The march stretched out for many blocks, led by the Palestinian Youth Movement’s hand-painted banner saying الوحدة في مواجهة الصهيونية (Unity Against Zionism). There were signs from ANSWER coalition and the Council on American-Islamic Relations, but not many organized groups marching in contingents. Most of the signs were homemade, and many waved Palestinian flags. A group called Queers for Palestine led chants for part of the march, pointing out how Israel’s bombings are killing queer Palestinians and calling for an end to “pinkwashing” of Israel.
The people at the march skewed younger and pretty culturally diverse, with many young Arab and Muslim families and their small kids. There were several signs in Spanish and there were chants about resisting imperialism from Israel to the US to the Philippines. Popular chants included “from the sea to the river, Palestine will live forever,” “Biden, Biden you can’t hide, we charge you with genocide,” and “one solution, intifada revolution.” By far the loudest chant was “ceasefire now.” Noticeably, several signs indicated that the holder would no longer vote for Biden in next year’s election after watching his wholesale support for the Israeli onslaught in Gaza.
100,000 Cross the Brooklyn Bridge on October 28 in Second “Flood Brooklyn for Gaza” March
Up to 100,000 people marched loudly for hours from the Brooklyn Museum on Saturday, in the largest yet of a series of New York City marches in solidarity with Palestine. Saturday’s march was called by Within Our Lifetime, with support of many other groups. A crowd started gathering outside the Brooklyn Museum at 3:00 pm quickly growing to the thousands, then tens of thousands. Within an hour we were marching through downtown Brooklyn, and it took at least 15 minutes for the packed and exuberant demo to march past one observer.
This backed up the count by Within Our Lifetime that there were 100,000 on the march, as did aerial footage.
Any organized groups were swamped by individuals, handmade signs, and Palestinian flags. Chants ranged from “Ceasefire Now” to “From the River to the Sea…” and “…One Solution, Intifada Revolution.” On the demo Abdullah, a member of WOL, said thousands were out “to support a free Palestine, and support this idea of liberation for each and every Palestinian” and added “our numbers are growing every day, and we plan to keep coming out until we free Palestine.” Signs also condemned president Biden for his support to Israel, and people chanted “Israel Bombs, USA Pays; How many kids did you kill today?”
After streaming across the Brooklyn Bridge the crowd turned north in Manhattan, continuing another 3 ½ miles into the night–much like the large Black Lives Matter demonstrations after the death of George Floyd–ending in Union Square.
Afterwards, Fox News and the local right-wing tabloids were vicious in condemning the march, mischaracterizing the tone, searching for and inventing reasons to call it anti-semitic and violent. Neither I nor anyone I talked to saw any episode of antisemitism on the immense march, and we were ready to step in and isolate any occurrence. What the right wing media are afraid of is not anti-semitism, but the American populace turning in greater numbers against the Zionist oppressive occupation of Palestine and Palestinians, and in doing so opposing the US imperialist agenda which backs it up.
PORTLAND PROTEST FOR PALESTINE RECEIVES SUPPORT, October 28
There was another of many Oregon demonstrations (see previous post) in solidarity with Palestine on Saturday. At 3:30 there were 1,000 to 1,500 at a demonstration outside Senator Merkley’s office in Portland.
Later that number grew as it turned into a march. Crowds, including families dressed against the cold, filled a main street for blocks, carrying homemade signs and chanting. Signs read “End the Slaughter in Gaza,” “End the Occupation,” and “The U.S. is the number one terrorist in the world.” Chants included both “…we charge you with genocide” and “Ceasefire Now.” We received quite a lot of supportive honks from passing car traffic.
PHOENIX EMERGENCY PROTEST AGAINST US FUNDING WAR IN GAZA, October 28
Around 500 people rallied in Chase Field, in an emergency protest in the capital of Arizona, Phoenix. This was smaller than previous demonstrations in Tempe (see previous post) and Tucson, Arizona. The demonstration was called to say no to additional funding to Israel, and to call for a ceasefire now. It was backed by different groups and the “Arizona Palestine Solidarity Alliance.” Activists vowed to continue the struggle.
FIFTEEN THOUSAND IN SPIRITED SAN FRANCISCO MARCH October 28
After feeling depressed by the horrors of the world, it was a great feeling as a diverse and packed demonstration, estimated at 15,000, marched from the Embarcadero downtown. The “Stop the Genocide in Gaza” march was built by a coalition of Bay Area organizations including the Palestinian Youth Movement, Bay Area Jewish Voice for Peace, and the Answer Coalition, and brought together a broad range of people and groups. When the march ended at 5pm many protesters pushed past police and blocked the Central Freeway for three quarters of an hour.
INTERNATIONAL IMPORTANCE
These demonstrations are taking part in the context of others throughout the Middle East, and elsewhere. On the weekend of October 28th and 29th, as the IDF expanded its invasion of Gaza, hundreds of thousands marched in pro-Palestinian demonstrations around the world.
Increasingly large Saturday mobilizations have been organized in London. On Saturday 10/21 a demonstration was estimated as 100,000 by police and 300,000 by organizers. On Saturday 10/28 some estimates say half a million marched against the Israeli attack on Gaza. It was the biggest mobilization of any kind in twenty years, and streets were jam packed with protesters. The Palestine Solidarity Campaign and Stop the War Coalition deserve credit for building such large and united demonstrations, but could not have done so without support of mosques, socialist organizations, and many other groups and angry individuals. Besides the broad anger at the Israeli offensive against Gaza, which had just brought the toll of Palestinians dead in Gaza to over 7000, people were opposed to the ongoing occupation and the support of Israel from both the Conservative government and Labor opposition. Later in the day hundreds of activists occupied Waterloo station in direct action for Palestine.
These demonstrations are making a difference. Israel and the imperialist countries that back it thought they could demonize the Hamas attack enough to call any solidarity with Palestinians antisemitic, and shut down opposition to Israel’s actions. This effort did have some oppressive consequences, but increasingly it is not working. In France (home to the most Muslims and the most Jews in Europe) the government outlawed all demonstrations of solidarity with Palestine. A socialist activist there told us it was the example of massive demonstrations in London and New York that helped them push to overturn that ban. Sunday October 22 saw the largest, and the first legal demonstration in Paris against Israel’s attack on Gaza, with 30,000 marching, and the first instance of trade union support. Paris again marched “in support of the Palestinian people” on Saturday the 28th, with a member of Parliament and mayor from left-wing parties speaking. In Germany, the ban on assemblies has been extended to arresting people for carrying a Palestinian flag, holding a sign, or even to Arab youth wearing the Keffiyeh. Yet, on Saturday the 28th, thousands marched in Berlin doing all those things, chanting “Free Free Palestine!” Another Berlin demonstration has been called for November 4th.
In the Middle East, as Marx21 discussed previously, massive mobilizations are not only demonstrating support for the Palestinian struggle, but challenging their own regimes.
As the biggest supporter of Zionist settler colonialism and Israeli apartheid, demonstrations in the United States make a real ideological difference, and this contributes to material advantages for Palestinian liberation.
The Palestinian Youth Movement and several other groups are organizing for a national march on Washington DC on November 4th.
Marx21 has reported on a previous round of US Palestine solidarity demonstrations here. A comprehensive list of past and upcoming demonstrations is constantly updated at Samidoun.
Marx21 US 