FRSO a part of historic march on Washington to free Palestine
Washington D.C. – On Saturday, November 4, members of the Freedom Road Socialist Organization joined the largest pro-Palestine rally in U.S. history. Reports estimate the attendance to be upwards of 500,000, which would surpass the massive rally in D.C. in March of 2003 to oppose the U.S. invasion of Iraq. Participation in the FRSO contingent saw members from Tucson, Denver, Minnesota, Appleton, Philadelphia and New York City.
Comrades united with the U.S. Palestinian Community Network (USPCN), Palestinian Youth Movement, and dozens of other Palestinian and Arab American and anti-war organizations outside the White House, the symbol of U.S. imperialism.
Masses of people filled Freedom Plaza all the way to the Capitol building to hear speakers express their solidarity with Palestine and demand that President Biden end the $14 billion in aid to the Israeli apartheid regime. The $14 billion would be in addition to the annual $3.8 billion sent by the U.S. to prop up the weakening Israeli project.
USPCN leader Nazek Sankari addressed the massive crowd, stating, “There is no going back to the status quo of the world before October 7. The genocide of the Palestinian people has exposed Israel for what it is – a racist, white supremacist state in crisis headed towards collapse that needs to be bailed out by U.S.”
The crowd heard from dozens of speakers for nearly four hours. Around 3 p.m., a bus full of 55 solidarity activists from Minnesota arrived in D.C. after a 20-hour ride. One of those from the bus, Anti-War Committee leader Meredith Aby, spoke to the crowd, “In Minnesota, we have discovered that $800 million of state worker pensions, including my own, are invested in supporting Israeli apartheid. And so we are a part of a large, grassroots movement to say no! Minnesota does not want to support weapons! We do not want to support apartheid and we do not support the ethnic cleansing of Palestinians!”
Protesters marched from Freedom Plaza to the White House, with thousands of Palestinian flags waving in the air. They shut down the entire city in the belly of the imperial beast.
Marching to the Capitol building, FRSO led spirited chants in their portion of the massive line: “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free!” and “Gaza, Gaza, don’t you cry! Palestine will never die!”
FRSO has a long tradition of solidarity work for Palestine, which was of the subjects of the FBI raids in 2010, and also included assisting the defense work of Palestinian-American activist, Rasmea Odeh. FRSO proudly supports the demands for an immediate end to U.S. aid to Israel and an end to the siege on Gaza!