St Paul, MN – On March 1, at the weekly Women Against Military Madness (WAMM) bannering, 70 community members stood with Palestine and the people of Gaza who have endured over 145 days of relentless, genocidal U.S.-funded and backed Israeli attacks. Over 32,200 people have been slaughtered, mostly women and children and those still alive face a deadly shortage of food, safe water, medicine and stand on the abyss of famine due to Israel’s total blockade, siege and bombing.

The day before the protest, over 112 Gazans waiting for bags of flour were mowed down by the Israeli occupation forces, with hundreds more injured. This war crime quickly became known as the “Flour Massacre” by an outraged international community. Aaron Bushnell, an active duty Air Force serviceman, in an “extreme act of protest” lit himself on fire in front of the Israeli Embassy in Washington DC the previous weekend, engulfed in flames he chanted “Free Palestine,” long beyond what seemed humanly possible.

After holding signs and banners and chanting to the unending honks of heavy rush hour traffic, supporters heard from several speakers representing several peace and justice organizations, such as Veterans for Peace (VFP) Chapter 27 and Students for a Democratic Society at the University of Minnesota. Dave Logdson, president of VFP Chapter 27 led a bell ringing in honor of Bushnell's life, regarding him as a hero for the Palestinian liberation movement.

Director of WAMM Robyn Harbison spoke to how all concerned humans deal with the grief of this genocide, stating, “We must take [this struggle] as seriously as Aaron did. Even with the pain of this grief, we need to keep fighting because it is life and death for all of us, not just for the Palestinians. Despite everything, organization allows us to grieve together. We are never alone in this.”

WAMM will be joining the Free Palestine Coalition next weekend to commemorate International Women's Day with a march on March 9, at 1 p.m. in St Paul.

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