International actions say 'End Gaza siege'

By tearing down the wall between Gaza and Egypt, the Palestinian people and their organizations gave an impulse to the anti-imperialist movement all over the Middle East and throughout the world. Demonstrations set for Jan. 25-26, which were first called as a plea to stop Israel’s criminal siege of 1.5 million Palestinians trapped in Gaza, turned into militant displays of solidarity with a people in struggle.

Buffalo, N.Y. WW photo : Ellie Doritie

Demonstrations were held internationally in Belgium, Canada, Germany, Austria, England, Scotland, France, Switzerland, Ireland and in the Middle East. The Al-

Awda organization, which called or coordinated many of the protests in the United States, listed actions in 29 U.S. cities and at least a dozen in other countries.

Worldwide, the largest actions reported were from the Middle East, with mass protests in the thousands in Amman, Jordan; Cairo, Egypt; and Beirut, Lebanon; as well as in Teheran, Iran. As of Jan. 29, Workers World received reports from the cities listed below.

San Diego WW photo: Bob McCubbin

One of the largest U.S. actions was in New York, where nearly 1,000 people, many of them Palestinian-Americans of high-school age, protested on Jan. 25 outside the Israeli Consulate at 42nd Street and 2nd Avenue in Manhattan. Demonstrators held signs reading “End the siege” and carried Palestinian flags. Another protest was held Jan. 26 in the same place.

Called on short notice by San Diego Al-Awda, the Free Palestine Alliance and the National Council of Arab Americans, a sizable crowd, including large numbers from the Palestinian and other Arab communities, gathered with banners and Palestinian flags across the street from the downtown Federal Building to demand, “Break the silence on Gaza now!” The call also demanded an end to U.S. complicity with the ongoing repression and an end to all U.S. aid to the Zionist state.

New York WW photo: John Catalinotto

A determined crowd in Buffalo, NY, shouted and chanted their support for Palestinian resistance, and denounced the U.S.-backed siege of Gaza, while passersby raised fists and cars honked in a busy shopping district. The demonstration, initiated by the Lackawanna Discussion Group Commission on Rights, raised the demand, “Defend rights in Palestine and New Orleans!”

About 75 people called out by the local al-Nakba Committee formed a spirited demonstration in Philadelphia on Jan. 26. They rallied across from the Liberty Bell and marched to the Israeli Consulate. The rally began with a strong statement in solidarity, not just with the coalition of Jewish people and Palestinians who were challenging the siege with humanitarian convoys, but foremost with the Palestinians who tore down the walls.

The International Action Center; the Free Palestine Alliance; the National Council of Arab Americans; Jewish Voices for Peace; FIST—Fight Imperialism, Stand Together; the Arab Muslim American Federation and many local organizations were among those that supported the protests in the U.S.

In Brussels, Belgium, there were several demonstrations starting Jan. 23 when more than 100 people called out by International Action for Liberation gathered in front of the Belgian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, chanting “In Gaza, whosoever sows misery will reap fury” and “Boycott Israel.” On Jan. 25, some 300 people gathered in front of the stock market building in the center of Brussels, where they reinforced the weekly demonstration in solidarity with the Palestinian people. There was also a protest action at the international day of action of the World Social Forum in Brussels on Jan. 26.

In Vienna, Austria, some 700 people demonstrated on Jan. 26 against the siege and embargo of Gaza, but also against the recent anti-Muslim agitation from the rightist Austrian Freedom Party.

Includes reports from Ellie Dorritie, Bob McCubbin, Betsey Piette, Bert de Belder and the Anti-Imperialist Coordination of Vienna.