Cleveland protest disrupts event aiding purchase of stolen Palestinian land
Cleveland, OH – On October 15, groups from the coalition Cleveland Palestine Advocacy Community organized an action to disrupt a real estate event planned to teach people how to buy land in occupied Palestine.
The event took place at a community center that is part of a complex with a mile-and-a-half long perimeter, and that is run like a Zionist fortress, with ex-FBI and Mossad private security.
The coalition used multiple avenues of approach to disrupt this event. On the day before the event, the Zionist’s registration link for the event was flooded, and dozens of phone calls were made to the community center holding the event. Then an action took place at the entrance and around the compound.
”I felt outraged that this event was happening in Cleveland,” said Yaseen Shaikh of American Muslims for Palestine Cleveland, “an event that promotes the illegal sale of Palestinian land. This has no place in our city.”
The heightened security was evident. There were many checkpoints to even access the community center, let alone the event.
Dr. Shereen Naser of Cleveland Palestine Advocacy Community and Moms Against Genocide said, “The Zionist and police response was exactly what I would expect in a country that has been explicitly funding and supporting a genocide and the ethnic cleansing of Palestinians for over 75 years.”
Around 30 people took part in the first portion of the action. Some stood on the side of the road with banners and signs, while others marched around the four corners of the intersection at the entrance of the community center. This small group was able to slow traffic, which was already slowed by the security checkpoint, causing traffic to back up and congest the main road.
“By being part of this action, carpooling others to it, and spreading the word,” said Shaikh “I was hoping to make holding such an event a pain for the organizers, and to let them know that the racist ideology of Zionism is not welcome in Cleveland. I wanted to materially inconvenience the organizers and the attendees of the event so as to make this land sale less successful and to make them reconsider ever holding such a program again.”
As the sun to set, a group of teenage boys left the community center and took up a position across the street from the protesters. These boys hurled insults and slurs at the protesters, members of local media, and the legal observers, all while one of their mothers filmed from a distance, evidently proud of thier sons’ behavior. As this continued, the boys felt bolder and bolder, surrounding people and following them to their cars.
As this is happening, the second phase of the action was already underway. Despite the police closing the advertised rally location, and mall security attempting to close the rally point, the organizers were able to pull off a car caravan. Around 40 cars participated in this caravan, which began as people would have begun to show up for the event. This, in conjunction with the on-the-ground protest, on top of the security checkpoints, slowed traffic to a crawl. Police then closed this major commuter road.
Shaikh stated, “I wanted to make the statement that our movement has no problem protesting outside the JCC [Jewish Communist Center]. Zionists hold these events inside synagogues and Jewish community centers so that they can weaponize antisemitism against protesters, but we are crystal clear about what we are protesting. We want an end to genocide and ethnic cleansing in Palestine, and we love our Jewish brothers and sisters, many of whom led this protest.”
Shaikh continued, “Despite our moral clarity, we encountered backlash from counter-protesters, who hurled abuse at us, got into altercations with media and police, and threatened our safety. But our love for justice and humanity is stronger than their hatred for it.”
“I think this action helped us understand our own discipline and commitment to each other,” said Naser.
Naser continued, “We were certain before, but even more committed now, that we are on the right side of history. And what a blessing to have that clarity of purpose and to be in community with others whose values allow them to stand steady in the face of those who are morally corrupt.”