Memphis, TN – On July 17, over 40 people gathered at the intersection of South Cooper Street and Young Avenue here for a rally called by the Memphis chapter of the Freedom Road Socialist Organization, in coalition with Memphis Voices for Palestine. Representatives from Never Again TN and Jewish Memphians for Social Justice, two Jewish-led organizations, were also present.

The rally was called in response to a small Christian Zionist protest in East Memphis, a neighborhood that most of Memphis’ Jewish population calls home, one week earlier. That rally brought traffic to a screeching halt, forcing the residents to hear the slogans and propaganda of a movement that wants to cast all Jews into Israel to bring about ‘Armageddon.’

The July 17 demonstrators waved Palestinian flags and held signs decrying U.S. support for the Israeli state. The crowd chanted, “Not another nickel, not another dime, no more money for Israel’s crimes!” “No aid, no walls, the occupation will fall!” and “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free!”

The residents of Cooper-Young greeted the protesters as they marched down Cooper Street. Many raised fists from the porches of the restaurants, others clapped as the march passed by. One Palestinian man waved a keffiyeh from his car as he drove past the march, wiping tears from his face. “¡Viva, viva, Palestina!” he yelled in unison with the demonstrators.

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