Members of the Muslim Community, Antiwar Activists,
Latin American Solidarity Groups and People From All
Over the United States Unite to Say: “We Are All
Palestinians!”
On Saturday, April 20 over 100,000 people marched in
Washington DC in the largest pro-Palestinian rally in
U.S. history. (Police estimated the figure at 75,000,
cited in Washington Post, April 21.) Another 35,000
marched in San Francisco.
Demanding an end to the U.S.-backed onslaught by the
Israeli military against Palestinian civilians and
calling for an immediate end to the Israeli occupation
of the Palestinian homeland, protesters turned
Pennsylvania Avenue into a sea of kaffiyas, the
traditional Palestinian scarf worn by demonstrators in
a show of solidarity.
“Free, free Palestine!” echoed from the White House to
the Department of Justice to the U.S. Capitol. Over
60,000 people demonstrated at the White House, where
bus after bus from Mosques and Islamic Centers all
over the eastern seaboard dropped off a stream of
protesters that continued to pour into the rally from
the opening speaker until the beginning of the march
on Pennsylvania Avenue.
Once the various rallies merged, tens of thousands
filed past the Department of Justice demanding the
repeal of the USA Patriot Act, and an immediate end to
the Ashcroft raids on the Muslim and Arab community.
“Yesterday the U.S. threatened to veto a UN Security
Council resolution calling for an investigation into
the Jenin massacre,” said Larry Holmes, co-director of
the International Action Center, part of A.N.S.W.E.R.
“The U.S. finally forced the removal of the word
‘investigation’ from the resolution language. This is
one more example of how Sharon’s war against
Palestinian people is backed and protected by the
George W. Bush.”
“The U.S. is afraid the truth will come out,” said
Carl Messineo, co-founder of the Partnership for Civil
Justice LDEF, also with A.N.S.W.E.R. “And they’re
afraid of the kind of multinational solidarity shown
for the Palestinian people by the people of the United
States today in massive numbers. It has become
impossible for the Bush administration to claim he
speaks in the name of the United States when he bombs
Afghanistan, pays for the slaughter of Palestinians
and threatens Iraq. The people in this country want
money for jobs and human needs, not war against the
people of Palestine.”
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For more information and to get involved, see:
http://www.internationalanswer.org
INTERNATIONAL A.N.S.W.E.R.
Act Now to Stop War & End Racism