Denver wraps up National Week of Action with motorcade for Palestine
Denver, CO – Around 12:30 p.m. on January 7, Denver Anti-War Action (DAWA) was joined by the Colorado Palestine Coalition (CPC) to host a car rally through Denver in support of the Palestinian resistance.
The event drew about 50 cars and caused chaos throughout the streets of Denver, resulting in traffic backups as far as the eye could see and protesters chanting out of beds of trucks winding through the streets. Anyone passing through Denver on Sunday could not ignore the calls for a free Palestine.
Before taking to the streets, there was a time for car decorating and speeches. When speaking on the deep ties between U.S. aid and the maintenance of the Israeli occupation, Kyle Burroughs of the Freedom Road Socialist Organization pointed out, “In these affirmations of how strong this bond is, is actually revealed a weakness. If this is what is so important to Israel, then we know how to win. We must end U.S. aid to Israel. If US aid is propping up Israel and Zionist war crimes we have to end that aid. We have to.”
Speaker for the DAWA, Julia Swezy drew this connection as well, “Every day when we come together in the streets, take direct action, and express our support of Palestine, we strike a blow to the terror state of Israel and to the involvement of the United States. We cannot stop.” These activists know how they can achieve their goal of a free Palestine, and it does not appear that they will be letting up on their pressure until all of their demands are met.
Overall, the event seemed to be a success for the DAWA and the CPC, especially considering that this action was only the second organized by the DAWA. Decorating cars with paint and car markers while playing music was a lighthearted and enjoyable time for the pro-Palestinian community; while driving through Denver and causing large buildups was a very effective, means to spreading the demands of the protesters.
This car rally was the second in as many months put together by supporters of Palestine. If the success of these events provides any forecast, these actions will likely begin to increase in frequency and scale of disruption.