March on Senator Ron Johnson’s office in Milwaukee to demand end to U.S. aid to Israel
Milwaukee, WI – On May 13, two days before the 75th anniversary of the Nakba, over 50 community members and activists from different organizations gathered in downtown Milwaukee to demand an end to the on-going genocide of Palestinians and to put a stop to all U.S. aid to Israel. The assembled crowd chanted things like “Not another nickel, not another dime, no more money for Israel’s war crimes!” and “Free, free Palestine! Long live Palestine!” Signs declaring support for the cause of Palestinian liberation were prevalent throughout, and members of the Milwaukee Anti-war Committee (MAC) held a 30-foot long banner that read “Long live the popular Palestinian resistance, from Milwaukee to Palestine!”
After a couple of speakers presenting the host group, Milwaukee 4 Palestine, the rally became a march. The people made their way a few blocks down the road, chanting the whole time, before coming to a stop outside U.S. Senator Ron Johnson’s office. Johnson is a far-right Republican and ardent friend to the Israelis. The crowd was spirited with their chants directed at the unpopular senator and listened intently to some closing comments before they made their way back to the rally location. Along the way there was a sad lone counter protester carrying an Israeli flag, but whatever he might have been trying to say was drowned out by the chants from marchers.
On Monday, May 15, Milwaukee will welcome Nkosi Zwelivelile “Mandla” Mandela, the grandson of the great anti-apartheid hero Nelson Mandela, to speak on the Nakba at 75. The Milwaukee stop is the first in a series of events that will take him all the way to San Francisco and then back to Chicago by May 20. Zwelivelile is the tribal chief of the Mvezo Traditional Council and has served as a member of the South African parliament since 2009. Like his grandfather before him, Mandela is a staunch supporter of Palestinian liberation.
Organizations sponsoring the visit in Milwaukee, including the Milwaukee chapter of the U.S. Palestinian Community Network, Madison for Palestine, the Milwaukee Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression, MAC, Freedom Road Socialist Organization, Jewish Voice for Peace, the Milwaukee Muslim Women’s Coalition, and many others.