Every Friday for the last seven years they’ve been there, protesting what they consider an unjust war in Iraq. But this Friday, they took on a different conflict — Israel’s shelling of the Gaza Strip, an offensive the government said it launched to stop rocket attacks from the Palestinian militant group Hamas.
“We’re protesting in support of the people of Gaza who are being unjustly invaded by Israel, and Israel is a surrogate of the United States,” said protest organizer Chuck Anderson.
Anderson and other volunteers have been protesting at Bristol Street and Anton Boulevard for years, he said. Friday, a handful paralleled demonstrations in Los Angeles where people were also protesting Israel’s bombing in the Gaza Strip. It’s been widely reported that Israel is targeting Hamas weapons caches and party leaders in Gaza, many of whom are in civilian-heavy areas. Hamas took over the land in 2007 after routing the U.S.-supported Fatah government, which takes a more moderate stance toward Israel.
Hundreds have reportedly been killed in Gaza since the bombing began last week, many civilians. Israel said it will continue to bombard Hamas until rockets launched from the region into Israel stop. A cease-fire between Hamas and Israel expired in December.
— Joseph Serna
New York, NY
AL-AWDA-NY & THE BREAK THE SIEGE ON GAZA COALITION OF NY Palestine Right to Return Coalition of New York www.al-awdany.org
January 3, 2009
As the onslaught against the oppressed and abused people of Gaza continued with horrific escalation by ground and air, over 25,000 (twenty-five thousand) New Yorker's rallied with anger and sorrow in support of the suffering Palestinians. This Massacre marks the largest the Palestinians have suffered under the Illegal Israeli Regime and New Yorkers made it clear they would not sit idly by as these atrocities continue unabated.
The protesters demanded accountability, an immediate return of the Gazan Refugees to their rightful homes in the 48 Areas and an immediate end to all American Aid to the Israeli Regime.
Numerous communities including the Black, Latino, Asian and working communities represented in large numbers as they stood beside Arab-NY'ers who could no longer tolerate the horrors the Israeli Regime rained on the Palestinians.
The rally began at 1pm and by 1:30pm had extended over ten city blocks, from 42nd Street to 32nd Street on 7th Avenue consuming the street and sidewalk. The protesters then march down 3rd avenue and stopped at the Egyptian Mission and the Israeli Consulate, demanding the unity of the Arab world in Support of the Palestinian People as NY Jews joined the crowd to condemn the Zionist State.
During the rally news of the Israeli bombing of another mosque was met with increased sorrow and a vow to remember every Palestinian affected. As the rally began to wind down, families continued to appear hoping for the chance to express their solidarity with the Gazan people and organizers received news of the successful Palestinian Resistance to Israeli Occupation, re-igniting passions and fueling hopes of Palestinian victory against the Israeli Regime.
Despite the arrest and criminal charges filed against a Zionist who threw an egg from the Zionist Consulate, the rally ended slowly and peacefully.
While we announce this rally in a hopeful spirit about the renewed mass dedication to the struggle for liberation, we remain humbled by the tragedies of Gaza, humbled by their sacrifice and sorrow. Protesters and Organizers all vowed to Boycott the Zionist State and to collectively organize effective actions to support the Gazans, to empower Palestinians in the camps, in Palestine and in the US.
May God and The Resistance Protect the People of Gaza, May they be victorious and may they Return to their Rightful Homes on the lush lands of 1948.
The break the siege coalition will announce upcoming actions by tomorrow Sunday night and encourages all to continue to take to the streets, lobby, donate to Gazan relief agencies, boycott and push for sanctions against "Israel"
Thousands of chanting, banner-waving demonstrators marched in cities across Europe on Saturday to demand a halt to Israeli bombing in the Gaza Strip.
Protests were held in Britain, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain and Turkey as the Israeli offensive entered its second week, and before Israel confirmed ground forces had entered Gaza.
Israeli Arabs held a protest march and Kuwaitis also took to the streets, a day after bigger Middle East rallies.
In Paris, police said more than 20,000 demonstrators, many wearing Palestinian keffiyeh headscarves, marched through the city center chanting slogans such as "Israel murderer!" and waving banners demanding an end to the air attacks.
Similar protests were planned in some 30 other towns.
London police said more than 10,000 people staged a noisy march and rally to urge an end to an Israeli offensive against Hamas militants that has killed at least 435 Palestinians.
In many cities people waved shoes -- recalling the action of an Iraqi journalist who hurled footwear at U.S. President George W. Bush in Baghdad last month in a symbolic insult.
British demonstrators threw dozens of shoes into the street as they passed the gated entrance to Downing Street, where Prime Minister Gordon Brown lives, and shouted angrily at a line of 40 police officers on guard there.
"Come to get your shoes Gordon," one woman shouted as other marchers directed chants of "Shame on you" at Brown.
A spokesman said Brown had spoken again to Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert on Saturday and was pressing hard for an immediate ceasefire.
Leading the march were singer Annie Lennox, politicians Tony Benn and George Galloway and comic Alexei Sayle. Demonstrators carried Palestinian flags and placards with slogans such as "End the siege on Gaza" and "Stop the massacre."
Israel says rocket attacks from Gaza by Hamas Islamists must stop before it halts operations, but the attacks continued on Saturday. Four Israelis have been killed by Hamas rockets since the offensive began.
ANGER AT WESTERN REACTION
Paul Mukerji, 42, from Birmingham, acknowledged Israel had security reasons but called its action disproportionate.
"The best way for peace for Palestinians and Israelis is to end the occupation," he said.
Ali Saeed, 24, from Luton, said Western governments had failed to condemn Israel's actions.
"What's going on in Gaza is not right ... It's not a coincidence that it's going on Iraq, in Chechnya, in Kashmir. It's just about going on everywhere. It's almost a direct insult to every single Muslim," he said.
Greek police said they fired teargas at protesters outside the Israeli embassy in Athens. Protesters burned flags and effigies, hurled stones at the embassy and clashed with police during a march by about 5,000 people, they said.
Tens of thousands of people marched in the town of Sakhnin, northern Israel, on Saturday in one of the biggest rallies held by Israeli Arabs in recent years, Israeli media reported. Calling Israeli leaders "war criminals," the demonstrators demanded an end to the onslaught on Gaza, they said.
Around 3,500 people marched in Berlin and 4,000 in the western city of Duesseldorf, police said.
Hundreds joined a protest in central Dublin.
"I just thought the fact that 300-400 people would've been bombed, would've been killed, was extremely wrong," said Andy Defaoite, a 27-year-old teacher in the Irish capital.
Several thousand people demonstrated in Ankara in a second day of protests in Turkey. In smaller protests in Istanbul, demonstrators carried baby dolls smeared with fake blood, and images of Rottweiler dogs branded with the word "Israel" savaging human beings.
More than 1,000 demonstrators marched through Kuwait City, with banners reading "Gaza will not die" and "We want a free Gaza." Other protests of at least 1,000 people took place in Madrid, Amsterdam, Milan and Turin.
(Additional reporting by Laure Bretton, Noah Barkin, Raissa Kasolowsky, George Hatzidakis, Andras Gergely, Jonathan Gleave, Ulf Laessing, Silvia Aloisi, James Mackenzie, Aaron Gray-Block)
Gaza protest at Israeli embassy The stand-off near the Israeli embassy
Demonstrators are gathered close to the Israeli embassy in London, following a day of protests across the UK against Israeli air strikes on the Gaza Strip. Up to 5,000 protesters have been involved in a stand-off with police in Kensington. Some have burned Israeli flags and thrown missiles at officers.
Earlier, up to 12,000 demonstrators marched through central London, hurling shoes at the gates of Downing Street.
Other rallies took place in cities including Manchester and Glasgow.
As the stand-off continued at the embassy, reports emerged that Israeli ground troops had entered Gaza.
The government has said it is defending its citizens from Palestinian rocket attacks, but Gordon Brown has called for an urgent ceasefire.
A Number 10 spokesman said the prime minister had spoken to his Israeli counterpart, Ehud Olmert, on Saturday to press for an end to the violence.
"Rocket attacks from Hamas must stop, and we have called for a halt to Israeli military action in Gaza," the spokesman said.
"As the prime minister has made clear, moderation must prevail."
Israeli embassy More than 30 organisations, including the British Muslim Initiative and the Stop the War Coalition, have worked together to organise the series of protests on Saturday. In London, crowds marched along the Embankment towards Trafalgar Square, shouting "Free, free Palestine" and "Israel terrorists".
When they reached Whitehall about a thousand shoes were thrown at the gates of Downing Street, echoing the protest of an Iraqi journalist who threw his shoes at US President George W Bush.
The Metropolitan Police put the total number of demonstrators in London at between 10,000 and 12,000, but organisers claimed the figures was as high as 75,000.
Later, a group of protesters broke off from the main group and headed for the Israeli embassy.
Roads were closed and police in riot gear used barriers to contain the crowds on Kensington High Street and away from the embassy itself.
The BBC's Barnie Choudhury, who is at the scene, said the atmosphere had become more angry and missiles had been thrown at police. At least one person was injured, he said.
In a statement, police said: "From approximately 1800 [GMT], a small minority of people at the front of the barrier line made repeated attempts to break through the barriers.
"This small number threw sticks and other missiles at officers, before pulling apart the barrier line throwing them at officers.
"Stewards and others within the crowd made continued attempts to prevent this course of action on the part of the small minority and keep the mood calm."
'War crime' Earlier, former London mayor Ken Livingstone addressed the crowds in Trafalgar Square: "Let's send a message directly to the Israeli government: if you think you can win votes by the indiscriminate slaughter of Palestinian men, women and children, you are wrong."
Mr Livingstone told the BBC the protests sent "a powerful message" to the prime minister that the public would not tolerate Israel's "war crime".
"The silence of the British government, and most Western governments, is obscene, and I think Gordon Brown will see this and recognise the real anger amongst Londoners," he said.
Also speaking in Trafalgar Square, veteran politician Tony Benn praised those who had turned out. "All movements begin at grassroots level, and this is one of the most powerful demonstrations I've been a part of," he said.
"What I would like to see is the prime minister and [Foreign Secretary] David Miliband do more, and be more vocal."
Mr Benn also called for a Europe-wide boycott of Israeli goods.
Among the protesters was singer Annie Lennox, who said: "I'm here today as a mother, not as a politician. I'm not pro-anybody, I'm here for human rights.
"The turnout today is absolutely incredible, it shows that so many people really care about the issue. Hopefully now we will see dialogue, dialogue, dialogue."
Elsewhere, in Portsmouth, nearly 500 people took to the streets and some 300 marched in Bristol.
Police said there were about 500 demonstrators in Glasgow and 600 in Edinburgh, although organisers said there were more like 2,000 protesters in each city.
A spokeswoman said: "The event went very well and we hope that it demonstrates the feeling of people in Scotland.
"That was what today was about, it was to say the siege has to end immediately."
Civilian deaths Comedian Alexei Sayle, who was also planning to take part in the demonstrations, told the BBC that Israel's response was "massively disproportionate" and although the two countries had a complicated history, the answer was simple.
He said: "Stop killing people, stop killing children and then start thinking about the little things after that."
But actor and comedian Paul Kaye said the situation was just as "terrifying" for Israelis under constant Hamas fire.
Actor Paul Kaye: Fear is the same on both sides of the border "I think it's important to remember that mothers fleeing rocket attacks holding their children have the same fear on both sides of the border," he told the BBC.
Israel stepped up its offensive against Gaza on Saturday, using tanks and artillery to bombard the territory.
In one raid, at least 10 people were killed when a missile hit a mosque in Beit Lahiya, Palestinian sources said.
The UN says that since the start of the violence a week ago more than 400 people have been killed, about 25% of them civilians - including at least 34 children.
Four Israelis - three civilians and one soldier - have been killed by rockets fired into Israel from Gaza.
Both sides have so far resisted international calls for a ceasefire.
PHOTOSTORY: WORLD DEMONSTRATES FOR GAZA Photostory, The Electronic Intifada, 3 January 2009
Around the world people took to the streets outraged by the scenes of death and destruction in the Gaza Strip that began when Israel bombarded the coastal territory on 27 December. The below images were sent to The Electronic Intifada from around the world and document various actions, demonstrations and vigils in solidarity with Gazans under siege.
Kettering Town's shirt, showing support for the plight of Palestinians in Gaza, which they will wear in the FA Cup tomorrow. Photograph: Action Images Shirts worn by players in an FA Cup tie tomorrow will be the unlikely advertising hoarding for the plight of Palestinians. Kettering Town will have the slogan Palestine Aid emblazoned on their kit to show their support for Interpal, a charitable organisation which distributes aid in the Palestinian territories.
"We are trying to raise awareness and charitable funds for the refugees in Palestine," Imraan Ladak, the Kettering chairman, said of the association with Interpal that began before the escalation last month of the conflict in Gaza.
Ladak, 30, chief executive of a recruitment business based in Milton Keynes, has no personal links with Palestine. "I just think there are certain areas in the world that are in desperate need of humanitarian assistance, for whatever reason," he said, "and Palestine is the one that's suffering the most.
"It's difficult with Palestine because, particularly at present, it comes with lots of political debate and arguments, but they're not important. I think what is important is that people are suffering the worst possible conditions.
"Support has been huge – in Kettering and from outside – and from all sorts of people, whether it be the local church, others charities, or MPs, humanitarians or local people. We have had very few people who have criticised us. Quite a few people have asked questions, and rightly so. Debate and people asking questions are part of it because it increases awareness of different situations. We're trying to promote the fact that regardless of anything else, human life's really important and we need to do everything we can to bring this to public attention."
Normally clubs take money for advertising on their shirts. "This is better than giving a direct charitable donation," Ladak said. "Not taking money is the same as giving a donation."
Kettering have a history of breaking new ground when it comes to shirt advertising. While Liverpool were the first professional club to be sponsored – by Hitachi in 1979 – Kettering beat them to it by three years. When the former Wolves striker Derek Dougan became the club's chief executive, he brokered a four-figure deal with the local firm Kettering Tyres and on 24 January 1976 Kettering became the first British club to run out with a company's name on their shirts.
Ladak said he came up with the idea to support Palestine after an initiative started by Barcelona. In 2006, the Spanish club formed a partnership with Unicef to benefit children in the developing world. In addition to the Unicef-branded jersey, Barcelona agreed to donate at least €1.5m per year to the UN charity over five years to support programmes for children all over the world.
Aston Villa are another club to have formed such a partnership. The name of Acorns Children's Hospice Trust has been on their shirts this season.
Protests have swept the globe in response to the current Israeli attack on Gaza and thousands have taken to the streets in France this past week, including multiple demonstrations in Paris. Thousands gathered in the Barbès district Paris for a demonstration, while a major protest was staged in downtown Paris to protest the visit of Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni, who was hosted by French President Nicolas Sarkozy last week. Des centaines de milliers de personnes manifestent en France contre l'offensive israélienne à Gaza Par ISM-France
A Paris, 100.000 personnes s'étaient rassemblées Place de la République. A Lyon et à Marseille, ils étaient plus de 15.000, à Nantes (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gJ_4dkbCEQc) et à Bordeaux près de 4000 manifestants ont crié : «Israël, Assassin, criminel de guerre »..
Des centaines de milliers de personnes ont affronté le froid glacial et sont descendus dans les rues de la majorité des grandes villes de France pour crier leur colère face à l'attaque terroriste israélienne contre la Bande de Gaza.
De nombreux manifestants portaient le keffieh palestinien, symbole de la résistance, et des pancartes disant : « LIVNI, BARAK, OLMERT, criminels de guerre ! », «Halte au Génocide», « Levée immédiate du blocus de Gaza » ou « Israël Assassin, Sarkozy complice ».
A Paris, 100.000 manifestants s'étaient rassemblés au départ Place de la République où la police a tiré du gaz lacrymogène sur les premiers rangs et a poursuivi les manifestants dans les métros. Vidéo : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QgGnSSrkEvI
A Lyon et à Marseille, ils étaient plus de 15000 personnes, alors qu'à Nantes et à Bordeaux, 4000 personnes criaient : « ISRAEL, ASSASSIN ! »
A Nice 4000 personnes sont également descendues dans les rues et environ 3000 à Lille, et 5000 à Mulhouse.
La mobilisation en France est similaire à la mobilisation de 2003 contre la Guerre en Irak. Cette mobilisation montre l'énorme fossé entre l'opinion publique française et la politique de nos dirigeants concernant Israël.
Les manifestants ont demandé également l'arrêt des relations entre l'Union Européenne et Israël.
« Il faut arrêter l'hypocrisie, le deux poids, deux mesures de l'Union Européenne. Il faut que l'Europe cesse de demander aux Palestiniens de participer aux négociations de paix et il faut imposer des sanctions à Israël. » nous a déclarés une manifestante
A l'heure où nous apprenons le début de l'incursion israélienne dans Gaza, la mobilisation doit se poursuivre jusqu'au retrait israélien sur les frontières de 67 et son respect des résolutions de l'ONU.
Nous appelons à de nouvelles manifestations de toute urgence. A Madrid et à Toronto, les protestataires commencent à se rassembler dans le centre-ville
