Thousands rally in Minneapolis demanding an end to the siege of Gaza
Minneapolis, MN – On October 22, 5000 people rallied at Loring Park to demand an end to Israel’s bombing of Gaza. Organizers said the goal of the protest was to show the level of support in the Twin Cities for Palestinians in Gaza who are struggling to stay alive after the Israeli government cut off electricity and water to the 2 million people in the Gaza Strip.
The action was organized by the MN Anti-War Committee, American Muslims for Palestine MN and Students for Justice in Palestine at the University of Minnesota.
During the protest banners like “Divest Minnesota from apartheid Israel” and Palestinian flags were flying on the Sculpture Garden bridge, which runs over busy streets leading to and from major interstates. There was also a sound truck where speakers from the Palestinian community and allied organizations spoke about how it was important to end U.S. weapons shipments to Israel because people want to end the bloodshed.
The protest spread to include the intersection of Hennepin Avenue, Lyndale Avenue and Vineland Place, where people did a die-in to show the seriousness of the ethnic cleansing that is happening in the Gaza Strip. A hostile driver threatened protesters with his car and a box cutter. He was disarmed by protest security but then he drove through the crowd. None of the protesters were injured. Afterwards the crowd continued to rally, and the day’s event closed with a prayer.
Sunday’s protest was the fourth one in Minnesota with of thousands of people since October 9. Organizers announced that the next protest will be outside of U.S. Representative Betty McCullom’s office at 4 p.m. on October 25.