Photos: ANSWER Coalition
All across the country, mass marches took place last Saturday to mark Palestinian Land Day with struggle, demanding an end to the genocide in Gaza and Israeli colonization of Palestinian land! The movement to Shut It Down for Palestine continues in cities and towns nationwide as part of the global uprising against the Israeli war machine and its sponsor — the U.S. government.
In Philadelphia, police carried out a mass arrest of nearly 70 protesters as they peacefully marched on the highway. Despite the police repression, the demonstration succeeded in disrupting Interstate 676 in the heart of the city as well as the Ben Franklin Bridge — the main crossing between New Jersey and downtown Philadelphia. Organizers remained more determined than ever to build the movement until Palestine is free.
Nearly six months into the genocide, huge numbers of people continue to take to the streets. 30,000 marched in New York City, taking over the streets of Manhattan in a massive display of solidarity. People converged from across the Pacific Northwest for a regional action in Seattle that drew a crowd in the thousands.
Every year, March 30 is commemorated by the Palestinian people and their supporters worldwide as Land Day. This marks the anniversary of a massacre carried out by Israeli forces in 1976 against protesters who were staging demonstrations and strikes in response to a plan to expropriate a huge area of Palestinian land. Six were killed, but their memory lives on in this day of struggle.
The Shut It Down actions were clear — the Biden administration is just as guilty as Netanyahu and the Israeli regime. Without the constant supply of missiles, bombs and bullets paid for using our tax dollars, Israel’s killing spree would not be possible. Just one day before Land Day, the Biden administration authorized the transfer of $2.5 billion worth of weaponry to Israel. All of Biden’s talk about wanting to prevent civilians casualties is completely meaningless until he meets the demand of the movement and cuts off military aid.
The government that speaks in our name is committing war crimes on a daily basis. The Palestinian people are bravely withstanding constant attacks, bombardment and mass starvation. People of conscience in of the United States will continue to do our part by refusing to allow business as usual to go on in the midst of a genocide. And we won’t stop until Palestine is free!
