Los Angeles, CA – On October 7, the two-year anniversary of Operation Al-Aqsa Flood, Centro CSO held a rally in solidarity with Palestine. The protest, which was a part of the Anti-War Action Network’s National Day of Action, commemorated the heroic defiance by the Palestinian resistance. Participants called for an end to U.S. aid to Israel and demanded an end to the siege and ongoing genocide on Palestinians in Gaza.

About 25 people gathered at the intersection of 1st and Soto Streets in Boyle Heights during rush hour traffic waving Palestinian flags, holding banners and signs that said “From Aztlán to Palestine” and “Veterans demand ceasefire and arms embargo on Israel.”

Karina Lopez of Centro CSO kicked off the rally, stating, “Hundreds of thousands of Palestinians have been massacred. 2 million are being starved and deprived of humanitarian aid. Journalists have been targeted and murdered in cold blood. The Gaza Strip has been completely demolished.

Lopez continued, “We stand in unconditional solidarity with Palestine. Our remain demands clear: Free Palestine, end the genocide, end U.S. aid for Israel, and we demand money for education and not deportations.”

Gabriel Quiroz Jr, a member of Freedom Road Socialist Organization and Centro CSO told the crowd, “Our struggles are very similar. We’re fighting for national liberation here in Aztlan, the Chicano Nation, and it’s only right that we support Palestinians’ right to self-determination and their struggle for national liberation.

Matthew Harper from the Catholic Worker – Los Angeles and a member of About Face, a veteran organization that takes action against militarism and endless war, also spoke in solidarity. Luis Sifuentes of Centro CSO and FRSO closed the rally by reading a poem celebrating October 7, 2023 and the efforts of Palestinians to break the chains of Zionism. After the rally finished, the protesters marched around the intersection and were met with cheers and honking from community members in solidarity with Palestine.

#LosAngelesCA #CA #AntiWarMovement #Palestine #CentroCSO #FRSO #AWAN