The protest was in Seattle on Saturday, July 26, & under the space needle across the street. Signs read "Free Palestine now", "Stop Killing Children", "Zionism = Nazism", among many & accompanied by Palestinian flag waving & Netanyahu effigies in Nazi uniforms. The event was nonviolent & street crossings were done within legal limits. They cooperated with the police, which were in a large presence, possibly due to the Sea Fair Torch lighting parade on the same street later that night. Chants of "free, free, Pale-stinnnnne" ranged loud through megaphones partnered with drums.
facebook event here
Palestine Solidarity Committee of Seattle
Voices of Palestine
Boycotts, Divestments, & Sanctions (BDS) Movement
Palestine Solidarity Committee of Seattle
Voices of Palestine
Boycotts, Divestments, & Sanctions (BDS) Movement
Full Socialist Alternative Statement
"Stop Israeli State Terror
Mass Action Shows the way Forward!
Over 800
Palestinians have been killed in the current war – the overwhelming
majority civilians. 38 Israelis have also lost their lives. The
destruction raining down on the Gaza strip, carried out by the huge
US-backed military machine of the Israeli government, is completely
disproportionate to the threat faced by homemade rockets fired from
Gaza.
Israeli Prime
Minister Netanyahu claims that the war is necessary to guarantee
Israelis safety. In reality, this ground invasion will do nothing to
make Israelis safer. It is at the expense of many lives, such as the
vicious attack on people sheltering in a UN school. Homes of those
accused of killing Israelis have been targeted and destroyed, leaving
survivors to search for the dead amongst the rubble. Meanwhile, no such
action has been taken against the families of far-right Israeli
activists charged with killing Mohammad Abu-Khdeir.
This conflict, and the ongoing vicious oppression of Palestinians, is rooted in the western quest for domination throughout the Middle East. It is intractable under the present capitalist system, which places profit over people.
The spark that ignited this present conflict is the collapse of US-backed peace talks in April, and the formation of a new Palestinian government supported by both main political parties, Hamas and Fatah. Israel had attempted to hold back demands for Palestinian statehood by playing off one party against another; the threat of a united government is the main threat the Israeli government is fighting.
Netanyahu’s government has a policy of expanding into Palestinian areas by supporting new settlements and driving Palestinians off their land. It has no interest in working for a real peace, and for a genuinely independent Palestine. The US, led by Obama, fully backs the right-wing Israeli government as a steady partner in an oil-rich region wracked with war and instability.
Unfortunately, the rockets fired into Israel have threatened lives and given Israel the excuse it needed to justify a ground invasion of the Gaza strip. These tactics are counter-productive, and will not further the cause of an independent Palestinian state.
We cannot rely on corporate politicians to solve this situation; it is only through mass action of workers and others in the area that a lasting solution can be won. The protests throughout the West Bank, and of Arabs within Israel, including widespread closures of businesses, are a tremendous example of what is needed.
This movement shows the anger that exists, and the potential for a Palestinian “Arab Spring.” It is fear of this kind of mass action further developing that has helped force the US to step up efforts for a ceasefire. Growing joint protests of Jews and Arabs within Israel have also shown the potential for working-class people uniting for an end to the conflict.
In 2011, Israel saw a mass movement for public investment in housing, and other social services, which showed the potential for class divisions to open up in Israeli society. The struggle for peace, work and housing for Israelis and Palestinians can only be won by mass struggle; kicking out the vested interests of the western governments, of big business, and of the right wing parties in Israel and Palestine.
This conflict, and the ongoing vicious oppression of Palestinians, is rooted in the western quest for domination throughout the Middle East. It is intractable under the present capitalist system, which places profit over people.
The spark that ignited this present conflict is the collapse of US-backed peace talks in April, and the formation of a new Palestinian government supported by both main political parties, Hamas and Fatah. Israel had attempted to hold back demands for Palestinian statehood by playing off one party against another; the threat of a united government is the main threat the Israeli government is fighting.
Netanyahu’s government has a policy of expanding into Palestinian areas by supporting new settlements and driving Palestinians off their land. It has no interest in working for a real peace, and for a genuinely independent Palestine. The US, led by Obama, fully backs the right-wing Israeli government as a steady partner in an oil-rich region wracked with war and instability.
Unfortunately, the rockets fired into Israel have threatened lives and given Israel the excuse it needed to justify a ground invasion of the Gaza strip. These tactics are counter-productive, and will not further the cause of an independent Palestinian state.
We cannot rely on corporate politicians to solve this situation; it is only through mass action of workers and others in the area that a lasting solution can be won. The protests throughout the West Bank, and of Arabs within Israel, including widespread closures of businesses, are a tremendous example of what is needed.
This movement shows the anger that exists, and the potential for a Palestinian “Arab Spring.” It is fear of this kind of mass action further developing that has helped force the US to step up efforts for a ceasefire. Growing joint protests of Jews and Arabs within Israel have also shown the potential for working-class people uniting for an end to the conflict.
In 2011, Israel saw a mass movement for public investment in housing, and other social services, which showed the potential for class divisions to open up in Israeli society. The struggle for peace, work and housing for Israelis and Palestinians can only be won by mass struggle; kicking out the vested interests of the western governments, of big business, and of the right wing parties in Israel and Palestine.
• Stop the slaughter! End the missile strikes and other attacks on Gaza!
• End the blockade of Gaza. For the immediate withdrawal of the Israeli army from the Palestinian territories. The conflict will not be solved by military means.
• For a mass struggle of the Palestinians, under their own democratic control, to fight for genuine national liberation.
• For independent workers’ organizations in Palestine and Israel.
• For an independent, democratic socialist Palestinian state, alongside a democratic socialist Israel, with two capitals in Jerusalem and guaranteed democratic rights for all minorities, as part of the struggle for a socialist Middle East and regional peace.
• End the blockade of Gaza. For the immediate withdrawal of the Israeli army from the Palestinian territories. The conflict will not be solved by military means.
• For a mass struggle of the Palestinians, under their own democratic control, to fight for genuine national liberation.
• For independent workers’ organizations in Palestine and Israel.
• For an independent, democratic socialist Palestinian state, alongside a democratic socialist Israel, with two capitals in Jerusalem and guaranteed democratic rights for all minorities, as part of the struggle for a socialist Middle East and regional peace.
Socialist
Alternative is in solidarity with the Committee for a Workers’
International, and it’s affiliates around the world - including Israel /
Palestine"
www.socialistworld.net
www.socialistworld.net
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*Photos (in order of start-finish)
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| Anonymous member wearing the iconic Guy Fawkes mask. |
*All photos taken by Digit Revs photojournalist Collin Curtin unless otherwise stated.
Photos are allowed for non-profit use with accreditation. Contact for for-profit use.
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