Dallas, TX – On September 19, about 50 people gathered in Belo Garden Park in Downtown Dallas to support six Palestinian political prisoners who recently escaped from Israeli detention, and to call for the freedom of all Palestinian political prisoners. The rally was organized by Palestinian Youth Movement, American Muslims for Justice in Palestine, and Students for Justice in Palestine. Chants included “Intifada! Intifada! Long live the Intifada!” “We don't want two states! We want '48!” and “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free.”

Speeches followed the chants. Jhad Villena of Malaya Movement Texas discussed the similarities between the struggle against repression by Rodrigo Duterte in the Philippines and the struggle against Zionist repression in Palestine, criticizing American military support to both Israel and the Philippines. “International solidarity is the answer when our enemy is transnational, and especially when our enemy is here right at home,” stated Villena.

Ammar Nanjiani of the Dallas Alliance Against Racism and Political Repression expressed solidarity with the struggle of Palestinian political prisoners and compared repression by Israel with repression of anti-police terror activists, pointing out that the Dallas Police Department sent cops to be trained by the Israeli Defense Forces. “The same racist colonialist project of American imperialism is responsible for both plights; we oppose a religious ethnostate invented by ultraconservatives that is known as Israel,” stated Nanjiani.

Next Daniel Sullivan of the Dallas Anti-War Committee condemned American support for Israel and expressed solidarity with the Palestinian struggle as a fight against American imperialism. “The U.S. support of Israel is very good proof of the reality of U.S. foreign policy, and how it is not concerned with human rights, not concerned with democracy, and not concerned with freedom, but is nothing but modern colonialism,” stated Sullivan.

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