‘Stop war on Arab world’

WW photo: G. Dunkel

Protesters from dozens of organizations, heeding a call from the Coalition in Solidarity with the Arab People, marched on Sept. 30 from Grand Army Plaza over two miles to the Fulton Street Mall in downtown Brooklyn. They brought their message to the diverse working class of New York’s most populous borough.

The organizers chose the date because it was the sixth anniversary of the Palestinian Intifada. The main demands of the protest were:

• Stop the war on the Arab world

• Immediate and unconditional right to return for all Palestinian refugees

• End the occupation of historic Palestine, Lebanon, Iraq and everywhere

• End all U.S. aid to apartheid Israel

• Release all political prisoners

• Support the people’s right to resist

While it can be harder to draw participants to a Brooklyn protest than to one in the center of New York in Manhattan, this demonstration was significant in a number of ways. For one, it had an extremely diverse composition, made up not only of North Americans of all different backgrounds and nationalities, but of representatives of immigrant organizations from all continents. For another, by going along Flatbush Avenue to downtown Brooklyn the protesters interacted with the local Brooklyn population, including many African Americans, Latin@s, people from the Caribbean and Arabs in the neighborhoods, and thus gave an opportunity for many to wave, honk horns or otherwise show their solidarity.

Equally important was the political message of the protest, which was clearly anti-imperialist, directed not only at the Israeli aggressors but at U.S. imperialism for its overall role as oppressor in the Arab/Middle East world. When one speaker raised the chant, “We are all Hezbollah,” he was joined by the audience.

The crowd identified with Hezbollah’s heroic courage and its success in leading the resistance against U.S.-backed Israeli aggression. This was an important sign that, at least on the anti-imperialist left, activists who identify with peoples all around the world understand how important it is to show solidarity with those actively resisting U.S.-Israeli aggression in the region.

The sponsoring organizations included Al-Awda, the Palestine Right to Return Coalition-New York; American-Iranian Friendship Committee; Anakbayan NY/NJ; Arab American Association of New York; Arab Muslim American Federation; BAYAN USA; International Action Center; International League of People’s Struggle; Malcolm X Grassroots Movement; New Jersey Solidarity-Activists for the Liberation of Palestine; New York City Labor Against the War; New York Committee to Defend Palestine; Pakistan-USA Freedom Forum; Workers World Party; and many other groups endorsed the action. WWP activists distributed 500 copies of the Oct. 5 Workers World to the crowds.

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