Denver students rally for Palestine, demand end to U.S. aid to Israel
Denver, CO – On the afternoon of October 11, students held a solidarity rally on Auraria Campus to voice support for the Palestinian resistance. Over 100 students and community members gathered in the rain for a speak-out. They then marched in support of the Palestinian people’s resistance to Israeli occupation.
The speak-out was held outside the Golda Meir House, a museum that is funded by the Auraria Campus and named after Zionist war criminal Golda Meir. This residence was moved onto and then preserved by the Auraria Campus, despite Meir’s brutality towards Palestinians and her infamous quote, “Palestinians do not exist.”
The rally began with chants in support of Palestinian liberation and the intifada. Speakers denounced the U.S. backing of the genocidal occupation of Palestine by Israel and supported the resistance to Israeli violence. Passionate chants by community members and students alike bolstered a crowd swarming with energy.
At this point, speakers grabbed the megaphone to take the stage. The Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) kicked off speeches with students discussing the history of Palestinian resistance, recent Palestinian victories against the occupation forces, and the dark past of the Golda Meir House. The students called for an end to U.S. aid to Israel.
Members of the Colorado Palestinian Coalition spoke as well. Abdullah Elagha began by discussing the heartbreaking reality of living under colonial occupation. On October 11, he awoke to the news that ten of his family members had been killed in Gaza by an Israeli airstrike. Two of these family members were less than two years old. Abdullah questioned why this keeps happening to innocent people in Palestine.
Elagha ended his powerful speech with, “If you have to kill for land, then it is not your land. If you die for that land, then it is your land.”
After more speeches by SDS members, an impromptu march spread the message of Palestinian liberation across the entire campus. Students marched through the Tivoli Student Union as chants of “Free! Free! Palestine!” echoed throughout the building.
After the march, protesters vowed to continue to fight for Palestinian liberation in the days to come, with multiple protests scheduled in Boulder, Fort Collins, and Denver in the coming days.
The SDS were joined by the Colorado Palestine Coalition, the Muslim Student Association, and the Middle Eastern Student Association.