New Orleanians participate in memorial motorcade for martyred Palestinian teen
New Orleans, LA – On January 28, over 200 motor vehicles occupied the streets of New Orleans on a busy Sunday afternoon. The motorcade was organized as a memorial in honor of Tawfic Abdeljabbar and all martyrs of Israel’s genocide.
Abdeljabbar, a 17-year-old Palestinian American born and raised in the New Orleans area, was killed by Israeli security forces on January 19 in the occupied West Bank near the village of Al-Mazra’a Ash-Sharqiya.
The teen and his family moved to the West Bank last year so that they could connect with their Palestinian heritage. Since Abdeljabbar’s murder, no U.S. politician has issued a formal condolence for his death. As such, members of the New Orleans community came together to demand justice for Abdeljabbar and all Palestinian lives taken by Israel.
The memorial caravan began at 1 p.m. and lasted over three hours. Drivers adorned their cars with Palestinian flags, taped posters to their hoods, and wrote messages on their windows. Messages included demands of “Justice for Tawfic” as well as to “End U.S aid to Israel.”
The procession of over 200 vehicles, stretching over three miles, drove slowly and brought traffic in the area to halt. All the while, participants in the memorial procession honked their horns, waved their Palestinian flags, and cheered. The motorcade crossed over the Crescent City Connection, which connects New Orleans’ East and West banks. From there, the drivers made their way to the Lakeside Shopping Center, an area mall, before heading back to Masjid Omar, a local mosque, for a rally.
At the rally, chants of “Justice for Tawfic!” and “Not another penny, not another dime, no more money for Israel’s crimes!” rang out.
Organizers of the memorial caravan included Masjid Omar, New Orleans Stop Helping Israel’s Ports (NOSHIP), Freedom Road Socialist Organization (FRSO), Jewish Voice for Peace (JVP) New Orleans, Loyola SDS, New Orleans for Palestine, NOLA Freedom Forum, Tulane for Palestine, and NOLA Healthcare Workers for Palestine.