Portland protests Israel's invasion of Gaza City
Portland, OR – On Wednesday, August 20, 40 Portlanders came together at the intersection of 37th Avenue and Hawthorne Boulevard to denounce Israel’s renewed offensive in Gaza. The invasion plan, which began with indiscriminate aerial bombardment on August 13, is set to displace 1 million Palestinians southwards, and is another step in Israel’s plan to ethnically cleanse all of Gaza.
This protest was organized by Portland for Palestine (P4P), a member organization of the Anti-War Action Network (AWAN), in response to AWAN’s emergency national call for protests against the ground invasion.
“Israel’s invasion of Gaza City is an atrocity that cannot be morally debated or justified,” said Savi Bansore, a member of P4P, “It’s the genocide and starvation of innocent people, many of them little children who haven’t gotten to experience so much of the world – their first steps, their first lost tooth, their first day at school, their first love. For even just a second, imagine if these were your loved ones who’d done nothing wrong being tortured to death, and how horrific of a thought that is, and then remember that that is someone’s reality every single day. Fight and do what you can, because there’s no other option.”
The protesters were gathered at all four corners of the intersection. They waved Palestinian flags, passed out informational pamphlets on the starvation of Gaza, and chanted slogans like, “Gaza must have food and water! Israel, Israel stop the slaughter!”
The visibility rally garnered plenty of support from passing cars and pedestrians, with there being only one recorded heckler and many passersby joining the protest as it went on. A large banner reading “Free Palestine” was hung up between two poles nearby.
Caitie Donovan, another member of Portland for Palestine, remarked, “It was amazing to see everyone come together on the streets of Portland to demand a free Gaza and the end of using U.S. tax dollars to fund a genocide. No one is free until we’re all free!”
The anti-war movement in Portland is growing and will not stop until a liberated Palestine is achieved.