Denver, CO – On Monday, January 22, at 11 a.m., roughly 100 pro-Palestine protesters rallied on the Auraria campus before taking to the streets and halting business as usual.

The activists stopped at the intersection of Colfax Avenue and Speer Boulevard, occupying the block and remaining there for over an hour and a half. This disruption of one of the busiest junctions in Denver caused traffic delays throughout the entire city and marked an escalation in the militancy of the actions taken by pro-Palestinian organizers.

The latest action, organized by Denver Anti-War Action (DAWA), Denver Students for a Democratic Society (SDS), Denver DSA and Denver Freedom Road Socialist Organization, with speakers and marshals from other coalition organizations such as Jewish Voice For Peace and Denver Party for Socialism and Liberation – members Colorado Palestine Coalition (CPC) – gathered to kick off the Global Strike for Gaza in Colorado.

In addition to standing in solidarity with their Palestinian siblings, the marchers also called out Governor Jared Polis and Senator Michael Bennet, as well as President Biden. Speakers called for an end to U.S. aid to Israel, an end to the occupation of Gaza. They denounced the recent bombings of aggression being conducted by the U.S. and UK against Yemen. The hypocrisy is astounding; no casualties were caused by Yemen’s strikes on shipping, while tens of thousands have been killed by the Israeli occupation forces, and yet the former are bombed while the latter are supported by the U.S. government.

During the demonstration, police circled the protesters and eventually brought in detention vans. Activists were not discouraged by their blatant attempts at intimidation, however, and the event successfully ended hours later with chants of “Free Palestine!”

The CPC remains determined to force local politicians to acknowledge the genocide and oppose Zionist support even as the state of Israel has expanded its aggression to the neighboring countries of Syria, Iran and Lebanon. “We will dare to struggle and not be afraid,” stated Ishmael Sanchez, a speaker and student activist with SDS, adding, “I encourage you all to contribute your humanity and force humane change with unity.”

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