Chicago, IL - 7500 rallied in Chicago to protest the one-year anniversary of Israel’s genocide against the Palestinian people, and the bombardment of Lebanon. The protest then marched a mile to the home of billionaire Governor J.B. Pritzker, a well-known Zionist. The Coalition for Justice in Palestine went there to demand Illinois divest the $130 million in Israeli bonds held by the state.

This week, the movement in Chicago against the U.S./Israel war turned its attention to divestment as a tactic to escalate pressure on the Zionist regime. The Anti-War Committee-Chicago launched a petition and canvass campaign to pressure State Treasurer Michael Frerichs for divestment from Israeli bonds as well. Code Pink and other organizations also carried out protest actions aimed at Frerichs.

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Chicago, IL – Over 1000 people rallied and marched from the Israeli Consulate through downtown Chicago on March 16 calling for an end to U.S. aid to Israel’s genocide in Palestine and an immediate and unconditional ceasefire. Irish flags rippled in the wind alongside Palestinian, Yemeni and South African flags on Saint Patrick’s Day weekend, as the afternoon demonstration highlighted the connection between Ireland and Palestine’s history of struggle and the need for solidarity against colonial oppression.

The event was organized by the Coalition for Justice in Palestine (CJP), which has organized weekly protests against Israel’s U.S.-backed genocide for five months in a row since October 7.

Solidarity was a central theme in the remarks of the rally’s speakers, including Merawi Gerima, a member of the Chicago Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression (CAARPR) and a co-chair of the Campaign to Free Incarcerated Survivors of Police Torture (CFIST).

Gerima emphasized the importance of unity of action, rather than unity of ideas, in building coalitions powerful enough to challenge the status quo. He cited the coalition for Justice in Palestine and Chicago’s Black and Brown Coalition for Palestine, which have mobilized massive demonstrations on a weekly basis and pressured politicians to take action to stop the genocide, describing them as “two magic weapons” for fighting U.S. imperialism.

“Solidarity is the most beautiful thing in the world,” Gerima said.

After Gerima’s remarks was Tom Callahan, an Irish American filmmaker and activist who is helping organize an Irish solidarity group for Palestine. Callahan spoke out against the Irish government officials who have met and presented President Biden with a bowl of shamrocks to celebrate their political relationship, even in the midst of a months-long genocide that Biden is facilitating.

Despite Ireland’s history of resisting colonial oppression, some Irish people “thought we could be free without everybody else,” Callahan said. “But Palestine is helping us remember that there’s no way out of this without solidarity.”

Tarek Khaill, a member of CJP and American Muslims in Palestine followed with a scathing rejection of President Biden’s recent delegation to Chicago to meet with Muslim and Palestinian leaders ahead of the primary elections. “We will not be used by this administration to further their political objectives,” Khaill said. “Our objective is the liberation of Palestine!”

After the speaking program, the crowd marched and chanted through downtown Chicago, busy with Saint Patrick’s Day foot traffic. Demonstrators held banners that read “No Irish pride in genocide,” “Hands off Rafah,” and “Stop the U.S.-funded Israeli genocide in Gaza.”

Before closing, a CJP spokesperson reminded attendees to mark their calendars for the Democratic National Convention August 19-21, when the Coalition to March on the DNC will center the demand for a free Palestine as they bring the People’s Agenda within sight and sound of the Democratic party leaders.

#ChicagoIL #CoalitionforJusticeinPalestine #CAARPR #CFIST #StPatricksDay

Chicago, IL – Over 25,000 people gathered in downtown Chicago on Saturday, October 21 in solidarity with the Palestinian struggle.

This is the fourth massive rally held in Chicago since the outbreak of the major Palestinian resistance operation, the Al Aqsa Flood, on October 7. Since then, there has been a genocidal bombing campaign of the Gaza strip by the Israeli military, and a unified dehumanization and disinformation campaign by corporate media.

In between roaring chants and calls for the end of the occupation, several speakers highlighted the ongoing struggle for Palestinian liberation and the Western media’s role in enforcing the Zionist narrative.

Mainstream local media as well as national media, in an attempt to obfuscate the popular support of the Palestinian movement in major cities, has published articles diminishing the numbers of each protest and removing the political content entirely. A speaker from Students for Justice in Palestine said of the media, “They lie about our numbers. They come and they lie about our message. So let me be clear – we’re not coming out in hundreds – we are coming out in thousands!”

The rally and march were organized by the Coalition for Justice in Palestine, including the US Palestinian Community Network (USPCN), Students for Justice in Palestine, American Muslims for Palestine, and others.

Each time speakers brought up Senator Tammy Duckworth, Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky and Governor Pritzker’s support for Israel, the crowd burst into “Shame on you!” chants.

Jan Schakowsky had seven Palestine activists arrested in her office earlier this week, when they demanded an end to her backing of Israeli war crimes. The 25 who occupied her office included members of USPCN, the Chicago Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression, Jewish Voice for Peace, and Dissenters.

Leslie Williams of the Jewish Voice for Peace, notes “The good news is people are beginning to wake up.”

Shortly after the speakers concluded, the march started and shut down Michigan Avenue and other parts of the Chicago Loop. The seemingly endless sea of people drew in other pedestrians passing by, increasing the size of the crowd even more.

Chants calling for the end of the occupation and the classic “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free!” could be heard throughout the Loop. Notably, there were no counter-protesters. Even the Chicago Police Department, which receives training from the Israeli “Defense” Force, did not try to bother with arrests as the people flooded and shut down the streets.

Banners and signs from different organizations and people from throughout Chicago could be seen, all in solidarity with the Palestinian cause and the right to resist.

The march ended with a call to action for the next day, October 22, to counter a Zionist rally being held in Federal Plaza in Chicago.

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Chicago, IL – The Coalition for Justice in Palestine (CJP) led 25,000 marchers into the streets of Chicago’s central business area, the Loop, May 16, to demand a halt to Israeli violence and an end to the displacement of Palestinians in Sheikh Jarrah. The death toll from the Zionist air strikes, artillery and rubber-coated steel bullets nears 200.

The mostly youthful crowd rallied and marched for four hours.

CJP includes American Muslims for Palestine, United States Palestinian Community Network, Students for Justice in Palestine, Al-Nahda, the Palestinian American Community Center, and the Palestinian American Council.

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According to a statement from protest organizers, “While millions across the world are rallying in solidarity with the Palestinian people, and for justice and peace in the region, including over 10,000 of us Chicagoans at both last weekend's protest and yesterday's – the Jewish United Fund of Metropolitan Chicago is rallying in support of war, occupation and colonization right here in our city.”

“Mobilizations across the world are important to counter Israel's offensive. Join us tomorrow to say we don't want warmongers to rally in our town,” the statement continues.

The counter-protest will take place July 28, 10:45 a.m., at the State of Illinois building, Thompson Center, 100 W. Randolph Street, in downtown Chicago.

The protest will put forward the following slogans: End the Siege on Gaza, Stop Killing the Palestinian People, Peace and Justice for Palestine, End the Occupation and Colonization of Palestine, and End U.S. Aid to Israel.

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Barak spoke inside the Pavilion at the University of Illinois at Chicago while the demonstrators picketed and chanted slogans in a fenced-in parking lot across the street.

Many of the protesters were further angered by the preparations made by the Chicago Police Department, including the searching of cars and the confiscation of all wooden poles used to carry banners and Palestinian flags. Veteran observers said the police presence was the largest for any event in Chicago since the Democratic National Convention in 1996.

“They're treating us as if we're the criminals,” complained Mohammed Asaaf, 27, of the Committee for a Democratic Palestine. “It's Barak who should be searched and arrested.” Asaaf's complaints were indicative of the passions of most of the protesters. Wedged in between the fence enclosing the parking lot and the police barricades, the demonstrators shouted slogans such as “Barak is a war criminal!”, “Stop U.S. aid to Israel!”, and “Hey, Barak, whaddya say, how many children did you murder today?”

The Coalition for Justice in Palestine, who organized the protest, was pleased with the turnout and with the message delivered to the media and the American public. The major demands were an end to the illegal occupation of Palestinian land, an end to the violence perpetrated by the Israeli military against the largely unarmed Palestinian population, an end to U.S. aid to Israel, and the institution of the right of return for Palestinian refugees.

Since the violence in Palestine began Sept. 28, and up to the time of the protest, Israeli authorities had murdered over 250 Palestinians. More than 10,000 Palestinians were injured. Many of the casualties are children and teenagers, who were demonstrating for basic human rights and justice, and armed only with stones. Amnesty International says that Israeli violence may be considered “war crimes.”

“We will not allow Barak to visit our city and not demand that he be held accountable for the actions of his government. What the Israelis are doing in Palestine is unconscionable, and all people who believe in justice should be here to tell him [Barak] that,” proclaimed Omar Al-Bishtawi of the Arab American Community Center.

Al-Bishtawi added that he was encouraged by the participation of communities of color and North American organizations. “The fact that others besides Palestinians, Arabs, and Muslims are protesting side-by-side with us is a positive development and may help spread our message far and wide.”

Some Background and Analyses

The Palestinian-Israeli conflict has its origins in Zionist organized, Western sponsored immigration to Palestine. Zionism is a racist ideology that supports building an exclusive “Jewish” state for Jews throughout the world. Zionists sought a “land without a people for a people without a land,” and that land was Palestine.

To establish this “Jewish” state, the dispossession of the native peoples, the Palestinian Arabs, had to be the Zionists' first priority. With the aid of the British, who controlled Palestine at the time, Jews from all over Europe illegally immigrated to Palestine and began seizing land from the Palestinians.

Understandably, this immigration created conflict between the newly arrived Jews and the Palestinians. Terrorist Zionist gangs, including the Irgun (whose leader, Menachem Begin, later became Israel's Prime Minister), established their settlements by force, attacking Palestinian villages and massacring civilians. 800,000 Palestinians were forced off their lands and out of their homes by the Zionist gangs-into refugee camps in neighboring Arab states, where most of them still reside.

When the British left Palestine in 1947, the Zionist leaders had already built a formidable army and were poised to establish a state. They did just that after the United Nations partitioned Palestine into two regions, one for the Jews and one for the Palestinian Arabs. This partition gave the Jews, who owned only 6% of the land at the time, control of 55% of historic Palestine.

In 1967, the Israeli army launched a strike against their Arab neighbors and conquered still more land. The West Bank, Gaza Strip, Golan Heights, and Jerusalem were illegally occupied by Israel, and Palestinians who live in those regions have been suffering under military rule ever since.

United Nations resolutions have called for the immediate withdrawal of Israeli troops from the occupied territories since 1967, but 33 years later, the occupation continues, abetted by over $4 billion of United States military and economic aid.

Palestinians lack freedom of movement within the occupied territories. Israeli soldiers can stop and search any Palestinian at their whim, and the people live as third-class citizens. Homes are demolished and land is taken for the Israeli government to build illegal Jewish settlements.

The flawed 1993 Oslo accords were supposed to end the illegal occupation. The opposite happened. Illegal settlements have been built on an even greater scale. Palestinian refugees, who now number over 5 million, have not been granted the right to return to their homes and lands.

Administrative detention and collective punishment continue. The Israeli Army remains in the Palestinian territories.

The so-called “concessions” that the Israelis are offering are nothing but an imperialist ploy to force the Palestinians into Bantustans, surrounded by illegal settlements and lacking the basic, fundamental requirements needed for a viable state. [Bantustans were South Africa's fake “homelands,” used by the white minority government to rule the Black majority – ed.]

Behind this backdrop is the inalienable right of the Palestinian people to resist this occupation, to fight for self-determination, and to live with dignity in an independent state of Palestine, with Jerusalem as its capital.

The young men and women who are demonstrating in the streets and demanding these rights, dying and spilling blood for their liberation, are an inspiration to oppressed and working people everywhere. They deserve the support of those who oppose imperialism, and all who fight for justice. Let us make every effort to assure that Palestine's martyrs do not die in vain, and that this current Intifada (uprising) leads to national liberation for all Palestinians.

Long Live Palestine!

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