Madison, WI – 6000 people answered the call of the Wisconsin Coalition for Justice in Palestine (WCJP) to go all out on December 9. The action marks the largest demonstration of solidarity with Palestine in the history of the state, passing the mark set only several weeks early at an action in Milwaukee.

The WCJP comprises 60-plus organizations from across Wisconsin and continues to grow nearly every day.

The action began with a mass rally on the steps of the state capitol. Organizations tabled before attendees flocked up the steps to hear opening remarks from Janan Najeeb, the head of WCJP and a leader of the Milwaukee Muslim Women’s Coalition. After Najeeb’s remarks, the crowd was treated to performances which included poetry recitations.

Thousands then took the streets, marching behind a large truck with giant speakers and with pro-Palestine video messages playing on the sides. The people chanted things like “From the sea to the river, Palestine will live forever!” and “In our millions and our billions, we are all Palestinian!” Palestinian flags and signs calling for a free Palestine and an end to U.S. aid to Israel were prevalent.

Sabine Wolter, the finance chair of the Milwaukee Anti-war Committee, talked about the pinkwashing of genocide by the U.S. and Israel, saying it was “unacceptable, and members of the LGBTQ+ community here in the U.S. must stand with our queer and trans Palestinian comrades and fight for an end to the Zionist occupation so that they are able to fully engage in the fight for queer and trans liberation.” Wolter added, “The oppression of the Palestinian people and the LGBTQ+ community are intertwined and inseparable. Queer and trans Palestinians won't be free until all Palestinians are able to return to their land and Palestine is free, from the river to the sea.”

Speakers from other organizations spoke over the course of the event, including Jenan Najeeb, representing the Wisconsin Coalition for Justice in Palestine as a whole; Rory Donovan, representing Wisconsin Labor for Palestine, and Sarah Wunderlich from the Oneida Nation, among others.

“So when politicians fucking fail us let’s do our jobs and fight for ourselves. Let's do our jobs, as people in solidarity with one another, and continue to raise consciousness in the streets, and through our struggle in order to build a movement that will not tire, that will not waiver, until Palestine is free!” said Lo Cross, the co-chair of the Milwaukee Alliance Against Racist & Political Repression.

Cross continued, “As oppressed people with revolutionary optimism, we should not forget that it is through our struggle, through our fight, that progress can exist. Whether that’s to end immigration detention, ending police crimes or liberating Palestine from Zionist oppression, we can do it and we will, our struggle willing, within our lifetime!”

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