Portland protest against Ron Wyden
Portland, OR – On Sunday evening, February 2, pro-Palestine protesters gathered at the Newmark Theatre in downtown Portland to oppose Oregon Senator and apologist for Israel, Ron Wyden, who was speaking at an event promoting his new book.
Despite the cold weather, around 40 people showed up to stand against Wyden. The protest was organized by Portland for Palestine.
The protest began shortly before the event and went on well after its end. The crowd gathered at the intersection in front of the theatre. They held Palestinian flags and signs that read “Stop arming Israel” and “Gaza will be your political grave.” Opposite the main crowd, another group of protestors held “War crimes Wyden” and “Boycott Ron” banners. With high energy, chants of “Ron Wyden shame on you, war crimes is what you do!” and “From the belly of the beast, no justice no peace!” rang throughout the crowd. Passersby and attendees received a pamphlet detailing Wyden’s complicity in genocide.
Portland for Palestine member Mutaz Alshawa gave a speech about continuing to fight for Palestinian liberation and the ongoing attacks on the West Bank. “The genocide is still going on,” exclaimed Alshawa, “they are bombing Jenin right now. When we say never again, it’s never again for anyone! We can’t let Zionists like Wyden come into our city and continue their business as usual!”
Wyden is one of the top recipients of AIPAC, a pro-Israel lobbying group. He voted in favor of defunding UNRWA, the main supplier of humanitarian aid in Gaza. While he releases and promotes a book on progressive politics, Wyden remains backwards on Palestine, refusing to acknowledge the genocide in Gaza.