Chicago, IL – The Chicago Coalition for Justice In Palestine held another protest against the genocide in Gaza on Saturday, August 30, as Israel’s campaign of destruction and famine nears its 23rd month. The coalition mobilized about 100 Chicagoans to the riverwalk near Trump Tower even as many Chicago-area activists and organizers were attending the People’s Conference for Palestine in Detroit, Michigan the same day.

The protest demanded an immediate end to the genocide, sanctions imposed on and divestment from the state of Israel, an arms embargo, the right of Palestinian return, and justice for journalists martyred while covering the genocide. Many protesters held signs honoring the Al-Jazeera crew that was murdered by Israel three weeks before.

In addition to targeting journalists, Israel’s war crimes include the indiscriminate, forced starvation of the people of Gaza as the Israeli occupation forces block the flow of food and essential aid into the occupied territories. On Thursday, the Palestinian Ministry of Health in Gaza reported that the known number of people who have starved to death reached at least 317, including 121 children.

With the “looming threat of an intensified military operation in Gaza, any escalation will further devastate Palestinians already living under famine conditions,” said Nadia Alyafai, a leader with the U.S. Palestinian Community Network who spoke at the protest. “And we know who will suffer the most: the sick, malnourished children, the elderly and people with disabilities who can’t evacuate, who continue to be displaced, and now have nowhere to go.”

“The media, the US, and the Zionist entity continue to lie about access to aid — but we have the pictures, we have witnesses on the ground — this is a man-made famine,” Alyafai said.

Alyafai then stated, “A few hours ago, the genocidal Zionist entity targeted my homeland, Yemen, killing the prime minister alongside several other ministers in the Yemeni government,” Alyafai continued, “This comes after the people of Yemen have continued to stand for the Palestinian people by any means necessary: blocking ships and cargo in the Red Sea, and taking the streets to resist the genocidal Zionist entity.”

The crowd cheered in response and chanted “Yemen Yemen stand your ground! They will never break you down!”

Alyafai closed her remarks by calling out Illinois State Treasurer Michael Frerichs and the Illinois Board of Investments for investing state tax dollars in Israeli Bonds, despite Israel’s genocidal war crimes.

“We have been fighting and marching every week demanding the very basic rights guaranteed to all of humanity – Palestinians are not lesser than any other human being on Earth,” said Tarek Muhammad Khalil with American Muslims for Palestine, who was next to speak. “If anything, I would venture to argue the people of Gaza have shown us that they are better than us – that their face is stronger than us. They have renewed our faith by giving us strength. We should not be looking down to them but we should be looking up to them, because they have shown us the way!”

“We call for an end to the occupation of Palestinian lands by the illegal Zionist entity – and in Chicago we also call to an end to the occupation of Black and brown working-class neighborhoods by a police force who was trained alongside the racist IOF soldiers,” said a member of the Chicago Alliance against Racism and Political Repression (CAARPR). “Our Palestinian comrades gave unwavering support to us during the George Floyd rebellion, and have always stood with us in our fight for community control of the police – and just as they have stood with us year after year, I can promise you that CAARPR will always stand shoulder to shoulder with you until we see a free Palestine.”

After the rally, the protesters took Michigan Avenue and marched south, past the Art Institute of Chicago. Demonstrators called out to the shoppers to join them, chanting “Out of the sidewalks, into the streets!”

Protesters will be back out again in Chicago next week on Saturday.

#ChicagoIL #IL #AntiWarMovement #Palestine #Gaza #CCJP #CAARPR

Chicago, IL – The Chicago Coalition for Justice In Palestine continued with its weekly protests on Saturday, August 23, mobilizing 150 Chicagoans to the riverwalk near Trump Tower. Protesters continue to demand an end to both the genocide and famine in Gaza, as well as an arms embargo, divestment of Illinois bonds from the Zionist entity, and justice for martyred journalists.

This protest came days after the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC), which works with the UN, has officially declared that Gaza is in famine.

“The violence the Zionist entity has inflicted on Palestine before is unlike anything we have seen in modern history, shaking every person to their core,” said Lara Hadadin, an organizer with the U.S. Palestinian Community Network, who opened the agenda for the rally.

“We have witnessed the murder of 250 journalists, the death of over 63,000 Palestinians, and the injury of at least 150,000 Palestinians,” Hadadin said. “And we know these numbers are vastly undercounted because people are still buried under the rubble from 2023.”

Hadadin criticized politicians who are only now starting to denounce the famine in Gaza, despite having supported the entity perpetuating it for nearly two years.

“Though it is true [Netanyahu] doesn’t care about the settler hostages in Gaza, most of Zionist society supports the genocide, and regularly, sexually, verbally, and physically assaults Palestinians in their daily lives,” Hadadin continued.

“Just as South Africa didn’t have the right to exist as a racist white supremacist state, the Zionist entity does not have a right to exist — as a racist, white supremacist, apartheid, settler colonial Zionist state!” Hadadin then demanded the Palestinian right of return, a major demand of the Palestinian liberation movement.

To close the program, the organizers read aloud the final message of Al-Jazeera journalist Anas al-Sharif’s before his assassination by Israel. The protesters then took Michigan Avenue and marched down the Magnificent Mile, disrupting weekend commerce to remind shoppers of the genocide their own tax dollars being used to fund.

Some of the shoppers raised their fists in support or chanted along with the protesters as they marched past boycott targets such as Starbucks and Zara.

“I never want to hear a Republican talk about pro-life and support this genocide,” said Tarek Muhammad Khalil with American Muslims for Palestine, as the crowd marched. “I never want to hear a Democrat talk about free and universal healthcare and supporting the quality of life of the citizens here — while they send bombs, to bomb children in Gaza. These are hypocrites representing us!

“So tell your representatives, whether it's Sean Casten, Jan Schakowsky – or whether it's any senator, such as Dick Durbin and Tammy Duckworth – you tell them, your days are numbered if you continue to support this genocidal regime,” Khalil said.

As the march concluded, the organizers encouraged protesters to register for the People’s Conference for Palestine 2025 from August 29 to 31 in Detroit, Michigan.

#ChicagoIL #IL #AntiWarMovement #Palestine