L.A. rally appeals to globalization movement
'Step up solidarity with Palestine'
By Maggie Vascassenno
Los Angeles
A crowd of over 300 people filled Merrifield Hall at Loyola
Law School in Los Angeles to overflowing Aug. 25 in a great
outpouring of support for Palestinian people facing the brutal
U.S.-armed Israeli state. This was despite efforts by Zionists
to force Loyola to cancel the forum.
The Free Palestine Coalition, made up of more than 50
organizations, sponsored the event. Its principles of unity
are: stop U.S. aid to Israel; end Israeli apartheid; the right
of return for the Palestinians to their homes of origin; and
Israel out of the West Bank and Gaza.
Preston Wood of the Free Palestine Coalition and
International Action Center chaired the event. Michel Shehadeh,
Western regional director of the American Arab
Anti-Discrimination Committee and co-chair of the Save the
Iraqi Children Coalition of Los Angeles--and also one of the
pro-Palestine activists facing deportation known as the LA
8--was the featured speaker.
Shehadeh called for increased solidarity with Palestine by
those in the progressive and anti-globalization movement. He
emphasized the need to organize opposition to the billions of
dollars in U.S. aid that funds the Israeli campaign of terror
and assassination against the leaders and rank and file of the
Palestinian movement in the occupied territories.
Other speakers included Maceo Shabaka of the All African
People's Revolutionary Party, Carol Smith of the National
Lawyers Guild, Layla Welborn of the Bus Riders Union of LA,
Connie White of the Black Radical Congress and John Parker of
the IAC. The video "People and the Land,"which documents the
day-to-day suffering of the Palestinian people under Israeli
occupation, was shown. After the video showing members of the
audience continued the discussion of how to broaden the
movement in solidarity with the Palestinian people.
Referring to the imperialist organizations that coordinate
international trade and finance, Wood explained that
"globalization is not only the expansion of corporate power
through the policies of the IMF, WTO and FTAA. It can also mean
war. Specifically, it means the ongoing illegal occupation and
war against the people of Palestine. ...
"We need to see the solidarity struggle with the
Palestinians in the context of the anti-globalization struggle
and make sure it is included at the top of the agenda of all
anti-globalization activities. Unity and solidarity will make
our movement strong."
This article is copyright under a Creative
Commons License.
Workers World, 55 W. 17 St., NY, NY 10011
Email: ww@workers.org
Subscribe wwnews-subscribe@workersworld.net
Support independent news http://www.workers.org/orders/donate.php)
HOME
:: U.S. NEWS ::
WORLD NEWS ::
EDITORIALS ::
SUBSCRIBE ::
DONATE
Email
this article
Printable
page