Chicago keeps its focus on Gaza
On Saturday, September 13, over 100 protesters with the Coalition for Justice in Palestine shut down one of Chicago’s busiest streets to demand an end to the genocide and famine in Gaza and for an arms embargo on Israel.
The protest took place as the Zionist entity stepped up its attacks on the West Bank, as well as its bombing of a flotilla in Tunisia, the bombing of Doha, the capital of Qatar, and more bombing in Yemen, Syria and Lebanon.
A member of American Muslims for Palestine stated, “On this anniversary of the Oslo Accords, Palestinians are still denied their fundamental rights guaranteed under international law.”
“The last 32 years is representative of a Zionist annexation process as opposed to a peace process. Since the Oslo Accords, illegal Zionist settlements have expanded, the Palestinian population is more fragmented, the pillaging of Palestinian natural resources ferociously increased, and the Zionist entity’s occupation became more entrenched.
“Do not let them distract you and debate about nonsense. Do not let them distract you from land seizures in the West Bank, from mass starvation and murder in Gaza, and from the bombing of hospitals, mosques, churches, bakeries, and encampments of innocent civilians with nowhere else to go. Make sure their newsfeeds are filled with the real news, the news that our Palestinian comrades are being terrorized by Netanyahu, Trump and their likes – that Yemen, Syria, and Lebanon are being bombed daily by the Zionist entity.”
An organizer with the Palestinian Youth Movement stated, “And just 60 miles away from Gaza, the violence spreads further.” This was in reference to mass arrests of Palestinian people by Israeli occupation forces in Tulkarem, and forcing arrestees to be marched through the streets as they were detained.
After the speeches, the protesters took to the streets on Magnificent Mile, calling on shoppers to join them. Magnificent Mile is often targeted by protests for Palestine because of the complicity of many of the companies in the genocide and it being at the center of the city. Many of the onlookers took flyers with a petition calling on Illinois to divest public funds from genocide and cheered on the protesters. During the chant, “From Palestine to Mexico, all these walls have got to go,” a driver unfurled a Mexican flag out of their car window in solidarity.
The protesters will be back out next Saturday.