Coast to coast protests for Palestine continue

As demands increase for a cease-fire in Gaza to stop Israel’s genocide against the people of Palestine, demonstrations continue in cities across the U.S. Coordinated actions included the National Student Walkout for Palestine in the U.S. and Canada on Oct. 25, which was organized by the Palestinian Youth Movement, Dissenters and Students for Justice in Palestine. In many cities, protests were held outside the offices of U.S. senators and congress members, calling on them to pressure President Joe Biden into agreeing to a ceasefire.

In New York City, daily actions have targeted politicians and their Wall Street backers for their support for Israel. On Oct. 25, activists in the Bronx, New York, marched to Rep. Ritchie Torres’ office to protest his support for the Israeli genocide of Gazans. A rally targeted Wall Street’s support for Israel on Oct. 27.

A multinational march of tens of thousands of protesters shut down the Brooklyn Bridge on Oct. 28.

Hundreds of protesters gathered in downtown Buffalo, New York, on Oct. 20 to demand an end to the occupation in Palestine. The rally ended on the steps of City Hall. On Oct. 24, Workers World Party’s  Buffalo Branch hosted a discussion on the history of settler colonialism in Palestine. The event featured a special presentation by Palestinian activist Shareen Abdallah.

Over 1,000 Palestine supporters marched through the streets of Portland, Oregon, stopping traffic from Sen. Jeff Merkely’s office to City Hall on Oct. 28, 2023. They called for an immediate cease-fire and an end of U.S. governmental support for Israel’s war. One sign read: “The only peace Israel wants is another piece of Palestine.”

Mass protests of nearly 2,000 multinational demonstrators have filled Seattle’s streets for three Saturdays in a row starting Oct. 14. The next march is scheduled to be at the Washington State Capitol in Olympia on Nov. 4. The marches have been led by Palestine solidarity and community organizations.

In Philadelphia, the week ending Oct. 28 was marked with multiple protests calling for an end to the Israeli/U.S. genocide of the people of Palestine. Heeding the call for the National Student Walkout for Palestine, students at a number of Philadelphia colleges and universities turned out to demand an end to Israel’s siege on Gaza. They called for their universities to divest from weapons corporations which supply the Israeli occupation.

On Oct. 26, the Philadelphia Palestine Coalition held a press conference outside City Hall denouncing a pro-Israel resolution passed the prior week by the City Council. Speakers addressed the mounting death toll of Palestinians in Gaza. Later that afternoon, Jewish Voice for Peace and IfNotNow blocked the streets outside Pennsylvania Sen. John Fetterman’s office, calling on him to support demands for a cease-fire.

Three events took place on Saturday, Oct. 28, in Philadelphia, including the installation of a memorial in Clark Park to 1,700 Palestinians killed by Israel during its 2014 bombing attack on Gaza. In the afternoon, hundreds marched through West Philadelphia in the 23rd annual Spiral Q Peoplehood parade, with the lead contingent calling for solidarity with Palestine. Later in the evening, around 7,000 people again took to the streets of Center City for a march for Palestine from City Hall to Rittenhouse Square.

Here are some pictures from the protests in Atlanta.

Lyn Neeley, Ellie Dorritie, Arjae Red and James McMahan contributed to this article.