Militant pro-Palestine demonstration during Labor Notes conference takes the street

Support for Palestine was strong among the thousands of union activists who attended the Labor Notes conference in the Chicago area April 18-21. Although not an official conference event, a rally organized by the Labor for Palestine National Network on April 19 drew hundreds of people. 

The crowd blocked traffic for over an hour, surrounding a cop car and refusing to leave the street after two people were arrested. Chanting “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free” and “Let them go,” the demonstrators eventually “de-arrested” the two activists, who were released without charges.

Several Palestine solidarity workshops and meetings were part of the conference. An impromptu meeting about the Columbia University occupation included graduate student members of United Auto Workers Local 7902, some of whom were among those arrested at Columbia. Many conference attendees wore keffiyehs in solidarity with the Palestinian struggle.