California: Gaza walkout rally in Orange County
Santa Ana, CA – On Wednesday, October 25, chants of “When people are occupied, resistance is justified!” and “Not another nickel! Not another dollar! No more money for Israel’s slaughter!” filled the streets of Santa Ana as over 50 people rallied outside the Ronald Reagan Federal Building to protest Israeli occupation of Palestine.
This rally occurred as part of a national student walkout for the following demands: for the University of California system to divest from weapon’s manufacturers arming Israel’s genocide in Gaza; for Israel to end its siege on Gaza, and for the U.S. to end its funding for Israel.
A representative of SoCal Students for Justice in Palestine put the bombing of Gaza in historical context, going back to 1948, when “the violent expulsion of indigenous Palestinian people displaced over 600,000 Palestinians.” She also called out the UC school system for its complicity in funding Israel’s genocide in Gaza, which includes the use of “internationally prohibited weapons such as white phosphorus shells and new chemical weaponry, burning victims beyond recognition.”
An organizer with the Stop LAPD Spying Coalition supported student demands for universities to divest from the weapons manufacturers that profit from Israeli occupation, stating, “These same weapons manufacturers produce tools to police and surveil our communities here and at the U.S./Mexico border.”
A member of Anakbayan Long Beach spoke in solidarity with Palestine, stressing that they support “the people of Palestine as they fight for liberation from the U.S.-backed Zionist settler-colonialist state.” The speaker underscored not only the U.S. role in maintaining the occupation of Palestine, but also of the resistance of the Palestinian people, who continue to “fight resolutely for their land and liberation, even in the face of the unrelenting Israeli military siege in Gaza.”
The rally concluded with chants such as, “From the belly of the beast! No justice, no peace!” and “Free, free, free Palestine!”