Coordinated economic blockade to free Palestine ties up traffic in multiple cities

After over six months of a horrific U.S.-armed genocide in Gaza, everywhere there is a sense in this unprecedented movement for Palestine that escalation has become necessary. There is a need to shift from symbolic actions to those that cause pain to the economy.

Philadelphia, April 15, 2024. WW PHOTO: Joe Piette

An international effort to carry out an economic blockade on April 15 (tax day in the U.S.) in solidarity with Palestine led to blockades of Interstate 95 in both directions in Philadelphia before police arrested people. A separate group of Palestine supporters shut down the streets outside the busy 30th and Market streets intersection, site of the IRS complex. Altogether, 69 activists were arrested.

Yet another 100 activists met at City Hall before marching to Broad and Vine streets where they tied up the entrances to the I-676 Expressway for 30 minutes. They followed up with a march to the offices of Day & Zimmermann. That company provides M67 fragmentation grenades, new XM111 offensive grenades, training grenades and various types of fuzes (devices with explosive components designed to initiate a main charge), in a $300-million contract with Israel. (tinyurl.com/2c8v6ca4)

Demonstrators continued their march to the world headquarters of the Comcast media giant, broadcaster of Zionist propaganda, before returning to City Hall.

Philadelphia, April 15, 2024. WW PHOTO: Joe Piette

People in other cities and areas blocked and disrupted the circulation and production points of trade and commerce. In the U.S., this includes: Phoenix; Long Beach, Oakland, Orange County and San Diego in California; Miami, Tallahassee and Tampa, Florida; Chicago; Indianapolis; Western Massachusetts; Detroit; Minneapolis-St Paul; St Louis; New Jersey; New York City; San Antonio and Houston, Texas; Seattle; and Portland, Oregon.

Actions were held on April 15 in international cities and areas, including Adelaide, Melbourne and Sydney in Australia; Vienna; Brussels; Bogota and Medellín in Colombia; Cyprus; London; Athens, Greece; Belfast and Dublin in Ireland; Genoa, Italy; Mexico City; Utrecht, Netherlands; Johannesburg; Seoul, South Korea; Catalonia in the Spanish state; Taipei, Taiwan; Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam; and Halifax, Montreal and Ottawa in Canada.

Organizers in those cities have agreed that if there is police repression in any location, other cities will extend their blockades in solidarity.

Fatima Muhammed of the Coordinated Economic Blockade to Free Palestine said: “We know that the global economy is complicit in genocide, and as Yemen is bombed to protect global trade and billions of dollars are sent to the Zionist project, we will target what hurts the war machine the most: major points of production and places where the most profit is made.” (a15action.com)

For more information and daily updates, visit a15action.com

 

Joe Piette

Share
Published by
Joe Piette

Recent Posts

Forum defends anti-imperialist Marxism and People’s China

On Oct. 24, 2024, in New York City, Friends of Socialist China celebrated the release…

November 1, 2024

Despite fierce opposition, Philadelphia City Council introduces billionaires’ arena bill

Philadelphia Which side are you on? That’s the question being asked of 17 Philadelphia City…

November 1, 2024

Cuba out of electricity? Why it happened.

Katrien De Muynck October 21, 2024 Published in French at Investigaction.net. Translation: John Catalinotto. There…

November 1, 2024

‘Red for Bread’ mobilizes support for Starbucks union

Since July, Starbucks Workers United has been promoting monthly “Red for Bread” days of action.…

November 1, 2024

G.N. Saibaba, 1967-2024

By Princess Harmony Gokarakonda Naga Saibaba (G.N. Saibaba) passed away on Oct. 12 in Hyderabad,…

November 1, 2024

Protests greet Kamala Harris rally in Houston 

Houston A pro-reproductive rights rally anywhere in Texas is a great idea, especially in Houston,…

November 1, 2024