Attacks on Palestine, Lebanon lead to worldwide protests
By
Larry Hales
Published Jul 27, 2006 12:20 AM
July 25—As the racist Zionist regime, with
the total backing of the Bush administration, continues its aerial bombardments
of Lebanon, the world clamor to end Israel’s occupation of Palestine and
its attacks on Lebanon grows by the day. Coordinated worldwide actions have been
called for Aug. 5 and there will be a protest in Washington, D.C., on Aug. 12,
but already there have been massive demonstrations.
Chicago
WW photo: Lou Paulsen
|
Inside Israel itself,
2,500 people marched from Tel Aviv’s Rabin Square to a rally at the
Cinemateque Plaza on July 22. The rally was jointly conceived and attended by
Palestinians and Israelis. It had an anti-Washington tone, with slogans
condemning both George W. Bush and the prime minister and defense minister of
the Zionist regime in Israel. There were also calls for Israeli soldiers to
refuse to fight.
Students protested in Haifa as well. They numbered 50 and
held signs that read, “Unconditional ceasefire now” and “Get
out of Lebanon.”
Buffalo, N.Y.
WW photo: Ellie Dorritie
|
On July 21, thousands of protesters fought police
in Cairo and shouted slogans denouncing the collusion of Arab governments with
Israel and demanding they not recognize it as a legitimate state.
In
Amman, Jordan, 2,000 rallied in support of Palestinians and Lebanon. There were
protests in Syria as well as in Iraq. The protests in Iraq condemned the U.S.,
Israel and Arab governments that give in to their pressure, and were held in the
Sadr City section of Baghdad.
San Diego
WW photo: Bob McCubbin
|
Over 100,00 people turned out in the small
country of Yemen on July 20 for a demonstration in solidarity with Lebanon and
the Palestinian people. (AFX news, Cairo, July 22)
Asia and
Europe
In Kolkata, India, the West Bengal Committee of the All India
Anti-Imperi alist Forum staged a protest on July 24. According to the AIAIF,
speakers “pointed out how the belligerent Israeli rulers, in pursuance of
their expansionist, aggressive policies against the Arab countries, more so
Palestine, have unleashed an all-out offensive on innocent people, damaging the
very economic infrastructure of the country of Lebanon and Palestine, violating
all norms of national sovereignty and civility. They also highlighted the
heinous role of the U.S. imperialist rulers.”
Demonstrations were
held throughout Europe as well as Asia. Tens of thousands rallied and marched in
cities in Britain, including 20,000 in London. The demonstrations were called by
Stop the War Coalition, the Muslim Association of Britain, the Palestine
Solidarity Campaign and Lebanese organizations.
Some 10,000 marched in
Berlin, and from Madrid and Barcelona to Paris and Moscow, in Turkey and in
other nations, thousands of people came together in solidarity with Palestine
and Lebanon.
Many protests in North America
In North America,
the largest demonstration was held on July 18 in Dearborn, Mich., home to a
large Middle Eastern and Muslim community. Some 10,000 people called for the
attacks to cease, calling the onslaught terror.
Some 1,500 rallied in
front of the Israeli Mission to the United Nations in New York on July 18. The
protesters chanted “Free, free Palestine” and “Free, free
Lebanon.” Many from the Middle Eastern and Muslim communities attended the
demonstration.
Some 500 demonstrators protested on July 21 at a Boston
rally, and hundreds more the next day in Chicago. On July 24 a protest was held
in Springfield, Mass., outside the Federal Building. The Spring field
demonstration was co-sponsored by the Western Massachusetts International Action
Center and the Inter national Socialist Organization.
In Buffalo, N.Y.,
two emergency demon stra tions on July 22 and 25 drew both anti-war activists
and people of Arab and Muslim descent. Banners and signs made clear that the
U.S. government essentially funds the Israeli war for the same reason that U.S.
soldiers are sent to die in Iraq: oil and domination of the Middle East.
On the West Coast, 700 rallied in San Francisco on July 13, where four
days later Jewish peace groups staged a rally in front of the Israeli Consulate.
Some 18 of the protesters were arrested during a civil disobedience action, got
citations and were released.
On very short notice, 300 came out July 20
for a protest called by the San Diego Peace & Jus tice Coali tion, with a
large con tin gent from the Middle Eastern and Muslim
communities.
Hundreds of protesters confronted a pro-Israeli rally in Los
Angeles on July 23. The Muslim Students Association, Women in Black, and the
Inter national Action Center joined with many students and youth to protest the
Israeli fundraiser. Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and California Gov.
Arnold Schwarzen egger were featured speakers at the Zionist
rally.
Protests were called for many cities in Canada as
well—Vancouver, Montreal, Toronto, Winnipeg and Edmonton—and were
held throughout the weekend.
In Palestine and Lebanon, Hamas and Hezbollah
have resisted valiantly, with Hezbollah challenging the Israeli claim to have
gained a toehold in south Lebanon. No matter the destruction that has been
rained down by high-tech Israeli hardware, which has led to hundreds of civilian
casualties, when it comes to putting soldiers on the ground, the settler
government has been thoroughly embarrassed by the fighting capabilities of
Hezbollah.
Nick Camerota of the Western Massachu setts International
Action Center sum med up what the movement in the U.S. should be doing:
“We are asking people to take a firm stand on the side of those struggling
against imperialism and racism. The U.S. anti-war movement mustn’t confuse
or conflate the oppressed with their oppressors. Today we seek to demonstrate
that those suffering in Lebanon, Palestine and throughout the Middle East are
not forgotten or friendless, and that we and others in this country emphatically
support their right to self-determination.”
For the anti-war
movement and all those who demand real peace in the United States, there can be
no other stance.
Articles copyright 1995-2012 Workers World.
Verbatim copying and distribution of this entire article is permitted in any medium without royalty provided this notice is preserved.
Workers World, 55 W. 17 St., NY, NY 10011
Email:
[email protected]
Subscribe
[email protected]
Support independent news
DONATE