Chicago, IL – “One, two, three, four – Petach Tikva – no more! Five, six, seven, eight – take away their dinner plate!” The chant came from protesters outside the Hilton Hotel June 2 as the Chicago Sister City International's Consular Corps Ball was happening.

As tuxedo and gown wearing representatives from over 70 governments and Mayor Daley arrived, the group of activists from a number of different groups in the city – bearing bullhorns, banners, flyers and Palestinian flags – made it completely clear that they were demanding that the U.S. cut all money to Israel and that Chicago end its ties with the Israeli city.

This same city has recently been in the news as the place where Ameer Makhoul, a Palestinian peace activist, has been held without access to a lawyer and tortured with sleep deprivation and stress positions in the detention center there.

Many Chicago activists were inspired to see new faces at the protest. One woman who had heard about the demonstration from the announcements at the Gaza rally the day before said about her new activism: “I just felt that after I saw the Israeli attacks on the boats that I had to do something to help.”

#ChicagoIL #AntiwarMovement #Palestine #FreedomFlotilla #PetachTikva