New York Stands with Ahed Tamimi
New York, NY – About 200 people rallied in New York City, Jan. 5, in Grand Central Station, to protest the arrest of Ahed Tamimi, a 16-year-old Palestinian girl seized last month by Israeli police and charged with ‘crimes’ for defending her home against Israeli soldiers, after they shot her cousin in the head.
Tamimi and her family have been active in resisting Israeli occupation. She gained visibility in 2015 after a video went viral of her protecting her brother against an Israeli officer trying to arrest her then 11-year-old brother. If convicted, Tamimi will face years in prison. Palestinians are convicted over 99% of the time by Israeli courts, often for crimes they did not commit.
Protesters chanted in the middle of Grand Central, waving Palestinian flags and holding signs demanding justice for Tamimi.
Speakers defended Tamimi’s actions, stating that Palestinian resistance is justified against the brutal, genocidal Israeli apartheid state.
Michela Martinazzi of the Freedom Road Socialist Organization supported Tamimi and her resistance by referring to Malcolm X’s famous quote, stating, “As the Freedom Road Socialist Organization, we believe that all oppressed people have the right to overthrow their oppressors by any means necessary.”
The protest was organized by a large coalition of organizations, including Samidoun Palestinian Prisoner Solidarity Network, NYC Students for Justice in Palestine, CODEPINK NYC and many others.