Twin Cities activists rally for Palestine
St. Paul, MN – About 100 activists rallied at the weekly WAMM Free Palestine bannering. Chants of “Viva viva Palestina” and “Resistance is justified, when Palestine is occupied” filled the intersection along with the unending honks of motorists.
Mariam El Khatib of the American Muslims for Palestine chapter in MN first spoke as a Palestinian American, reiterating “Despite the living conditions that Israel has put [the Palestinians] under, they live a life of dignity. They are living for something worth dying for and that is the reality and that is what gives us the hope and motivation to keep doing the work that we’re doing.”
Ava Roots of Students for a Democratic Society spoke about the anti-boycott Israel legislation that is being proposed in many states which also threatens campus organizing, especially in the case where students and faculty speak out for Palestine.
Rachel Storm, a member of the MN Abortion Action Committee spoke of her experience coming into political consciousness about the reality of Palestinians living in their occupied homelands before October 7. She explained, “I’ll admit, before October, I knew virtually nothing about the situation in Palestine. I was only vaguely aware that there was a conflict, and I remember thinking to myself ‘oh why can’t they just get along?’ because I was completely ignorant of the real history of Palestine. As you all know Israel spews so much lies and propaganda about their ‘right to exist’ or why they’re entitled to the land, but do I really need to spend time explaining why this is bullshit?”
Strom continued, “But right now, seeing the images coming out of Gaza, seeing the families ripped apart and the children buried under the rubble and seeing their faces, do I really need to say anything else? Aren’t these images giving you all the proof you could need? Isn’t it obvious? In what world could this level of slaughter ever be justified?” She closed out the event by reminding attendees how long the resistance has been standing up to the Israeli occupation, and that we have a duty to do so.
The event was a part of the national week of action called by the US Palestinian Community Network (USPCN), the National Alliance Racist and Political Repression, and Students for a Democratic Society, with an event every day from January 1 to January 7, organized locally by the Free Palestine Coalition in the Twin Cities.