Nakba Day commemorates the victims of the Palestinian Nakba in 1948, during which Israeli settler militias ethnically cleansed over 750,000 Palestinians from their homelands, depopulating 531 villages, and massacring over 15,000 Palestinians to establish the state of Israel.

Nakba Day takes place yearly on May 15 to recognize not only the ethnic cleansing of the Palestinians in 1948 but the continued occupation of Palestinian land for over 77 years now. This year’s Nakba Day takes place during the ongoing genocide in Gaza which has led to the displacement of over 2 million people, the deaths of over 50,000, and the complete blockade of fuel, food and medicine into the Gaza Strip.

Nerdeen Kiswani, from Within Our Lifetime, called attention to the suffering of the Palestinian people and highlighted how they continue to resist and continue to remain resilient even in the face of genocide. Kiswani emphasized that if the Palestinian people are able to continue to fight back under those conditions, Americans have no excuse to not go out and protest to demand an arms embargo and cutting all ties with Israel. After she spoke, protesters chanted “We don’t want no two states, we remember 48!” And “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free.”

Protesters led by Within Our Lifetime took over the Brooklyn Bridge and marched across it to City Hall. As they marched, thousands of onlookers cheered, took photos and joined in on the chants. Police cars followed the protest across the bridge, inciting protesters to chant “NYPD, KKK IOF they’re all the same!”

The rally stopped at its second location where almost a hundred protesters holding a massive Palestinian flag were waiting. They took over the streets and continued marching to Union Square. Hundreds continued to chant “Resistance is justified, when people are occupied!” and “There is only one solution! Intifada revolution!”

At Union Square, dozens of Zionist provocateurs were stationed to harass protesters. The agitators hurled vile, racist insults and some of the agitators threw a yellow liquid at the rally, sparking a clash between police, Zionists and the pro-Palestinian protesters. Despite these attempts at agitation and disruption, the march continued past Union Square to Madison Square Park.

At Madison Square Park, Anas Saleh, from Within Our Lifetime and Doctors Against Genocide, read a statement from a Palestinian doctor who described the catastrophic conditions Palestinians in north Gaza are facing.

Salah then spoke on his own experiences traveling to the West Bank last year. He described how in just two months he saw the horrific reality of the Israeli occupation.. He saw blindfolded Palestinians on the streets being harassed by Israeli soldiers. He remembered how Palestinian children were told to hide behind a wall whenever they saw an Israeli soldier. He then spoke on his own encounter with a soldier. “Just because I am a young man and Palestinian, an IOF soldier stopped and asked me ‘Why are you smiling?’ He then pointed his gun at my head.” He emphasized how this was just his experience in two months in the West Bank; for Palestinians this is a daily reality for them that has held true for their whole lives.

The rally ended and dispersed after Salahs’ speech. Within Our Lifetime organizers urged protesters to continue coming out to the streets and to encourage more people to come out. The struggle cannot end until Palestine is free from the river to the sea.

#NewYorkCityNY #NY #International #Palestine #WOL #DAG

New York, NY – Thousands took to the streets to commemorate the one-year anniversary of the Palestinian resistance Operation Al Aqsa Flood. The people of New York have been marching militantly throughout the weekend, and on October 7 the last wave went block by block to mark the momentous event of resistance.

Protests began at 12 universities. Chapters of Students for a Democratic Society and Students for Justice in Palestine organized walkouts and rallies on their campuses. The students, many who had been involved in the encampments walked out of class chanting in support of the demands: disclosure and divestment from all companies aiding Israel in its genocide, cutting ties with all Zionist institutions, NYPD off their campuses, and protection of pro-Palestinian speech on campus with amnesty for all students who have been punished for their rightful activism.

Eb Ahmed of NYU SDS said during their speech, “We the students cannot sit around while our university maintains its ties to genocide. We must remain united and steadfast and resilient. We must take on this fight, for our Palestinian brothers and sisters. We must dare to struggle and dare to win.”

At noon, demonstrators began gathering at Wall Street where Within Our Lifetime called the action Flood New York to commemorate the day. Thousands gathered around a massive Palestinian flag and began marching. Within Our Lifetime had planned a total of seven stops where they would pick up protesters as they took over the city.

The students who had walked out of their classes had gathered at the third stop of the day – Washington Square Park. The park is right near NYU.

Led by multiple chapters of Students for Justice in Palestine and SDS, the students drowned out Zionist counter-protesters, who were protected by the NYPD.

Chants of “Disclose, divest we will not stop we will not rest” and “Say it loud and say it clear, we don’t want no Zionists here” could be heard from all corners of the park.

A speaker from Kingsborough Community College stated, “We are here not just to express our sorrow and our outrage but to amplify the voices that have been continuously silenced.”

When massive wave of protesters from Wall Street arrived at Washington Square Park, the student contingent joined in their thousands.

They marched with Within Our Lifetime and hundreds of other organizations throughout Manhattan, dispersing once they reached Columbus Circle. Student organizers have promised that they will be back. They promised to continue the struggle until they win their demands and Palestine is liberated.

#NewYorkNY #NY #AntiWarMovement #Palestine #SDS #WOL #SJP

New York, NYC – On January 27, a National Day of Action for Palestine took place on the seventh anniversary of Trump’s Muslim Ban. The protest was called by Within Our Lifetime (WOL), a Palestinian-led organization that has been leading an incredible number of mass protests in NYC since October.

Around 100 people rallied at Jamaica train station, chanting, “Israel bombs! USA pays! How many kids did you kill today?”

To observe the anniversary of the Muslim Ban, WOL planned to protest at Terminal 4 at John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK). This is the same terminal where the protests took place in 2017. Protesters were originally supposed to be directly in front of Terminal 4, however, the New York City chief of patrol tweeted, “Don’t flood our highways…If you do, we will try to flood our jail cells with you and take your car!”

WOL slightly changed the course and rallied within sight and sound of the AirTrain, which takes passengers to Terminal 4, despite the threat of arrest and the obscene number of officers guarding the entrances.

The night before, Nerdeen Kiswani, founder of WOL, and several other protesters were arrested at a protest against AIPAC and Friends of the IDF. This came after WOL released a 60-page report of NYPD’s repression tactics and harassment against protesters who have been fighting for Palestine.

Kiswani and several other protesters have since been released, and at the protest she yelled, “It doesn’t matter how many times you try to beat us, arrest us, or harass us, the people of NYC will continue to demand for the people of Palestine to be free!”

Protest participants included members of Freedom Road Socialist Organization. As political repression and state violence continues, FRSO NYC will continue to stand in solidarity with the Palestinian people and attend future events led by WOL and other Palestinian organizations.

#NewYorkNYC #AntiWarMovement #International #Palestine #WOL #FRSO