Denver, CO – On Thursday, January 4, around 70 protesters gathered at the Colorado State Capitol for a protest against Colorado Governor Jared Polis.

After a few speakers and a march around the Capitol building, protesters entered the building to protest at the governor’s office. Despite the capitol being funded by the public’s tax dollars, police only let around 30 of the 70 protesters into the building.

Regardless of the attack on the right to protest in a public space, the event was quite successful, resulting in the complete shutdown of the capitol for the remainder of the day.

Once inside the building, protesters began chants calling out Jared Polis for his support of the genocidal Israeli occupation, including, “Jared Polis you can’t hide! We charge you with genocide!” and “Jared Polis what do you say? How many kids did you kill today?”

The event continued inside for around 20 minutes before the Denver Police Department began threatening protesters with tickets, arrests and trespassing charges. To give an air of legitimacy to this obvious attack on free speech rights, officials were forced to shut down the building for the remainder of the day. This shutdown marked a significant win for the protesters, as those who work in the Colorado legislature to fund the genocide of Palestinians were forced to give up their work for the day.

After being forced out of the building, protesters inside rejoined those who were waiting for them outside and made a promise to capitol officials on their way out, repeatedly chanting, “We’ll be back!” before making their way to the front of the capitol on the steps to conclude the action with a couple more speakers and announcements of upcoming events for Palestine.

Governor Polis is an especially infuriating politician to pro-Palestine activists, as Polis welcomed the Jewish National Fund’s (JNF) Global Conference for Israel into Denver at the end of 2023. The JNF is a Zionist organization that has contributed to the genocide of Palestinians for over 120 years, far longer than the Israeli occupation has even existed.

After explaining how Polis has refused to meet with Palestinians in Denver, Denver Anti-War Action member Tyler Hartley called out Polis’ connection to the JNF, saying, “Jared Polis presumes that he does not have to listen to his constituents. Instead, he spent his time in attendance at the Global Conference for Israel and spoke for ten minutes there.”

Despite capitalist media often attempting to muddy the waters, there can only be two sides during a genocide. Either you stand with the oppressor, or the oppressed. Activists in Colorado have given Polis multiple attempts to stand on the correct side of history; however, he chooses to remain aligned with the genocidal occupation.

Keegan Estrella, a rank-and-file organizer with Teamsters Local 455 and member of the Freedom Road Socialist Organization, connected how the oppressor in Palestine is the same one workers face here in the United States, “We need to get organized. Because when people get together and strike a blow against U.S. capital, it is a victory for Palestine. Just like how when Palestine deals a blow to the Israeli occupation, it is a victory here.”

The protest was a part of the National Week of Action for Palestine called by the US Palestinian Community Network, the National Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression, and Students for a Democratic Society.

The U.S. is deeply invested in ensuring the ongoing genocide of Palestinians. Organizers with the Colorado Palestine Coalition will continue escalating their actions against their political representatives until the genocidal actions of the Zionist occupation end.

#DenverCO #International #Palestine #AntiWar #USPCN #SDS #NAARPR