Tens of thousands of people from across the US gathered in New York City on Saturday for a demonstration called “Stop starving Gaza: mass march for humanity” in protest against Israel’s forced starvation of the Palestinian enclave.
After weeks of small demonstrations in different US cities, more than 200 organisations came together on a hot Saturday afternoon at Bryant Park to protest Israel’s assault and blockade on Gaza that have led to starvation, exorbitant food prices, and killings of Palestinians at aid distribution sites.
“People have been seeing starvation on their phone screens, and we’re seeing more and more people called to action,” Miriam Osman, a member of the Palestinian Youth Movement, one of the main sponsoring organisations of the demonstration, told The New Arab.
“It’s undeniable what we’re witnessing. What our government is doing in no way reflects what the majority of people want,” she said. According to a July Gallup poll, 32 percent of Americans support Israel’s military action in Gaza, a new low since the conflict began in October 2023.
Saturday’s demonstration saw a cross-section of society, including members of labour unions, faith leaders, the elderly, and children, who gathered to write letters of support to their counterparts in Gaza. Many appeared to be first-time demonstrators.
Speakers included labour leader Chris Smalls and formerly detained Palestinian Columbia student activist Mahmoud Khalil, who spoke about Al-Jazeera journalist Anas Al-Sharif, who was killed last week by Israel in a targeted attack — one of the main incidents that galvanised people to join Saturday’s demonstration.
“The sun of dignity and freedom that Anas Al-Sharif spoke of rises only if we refuse to let another Palestinian die in darkness while the world looks away. Anas lives on through his words, and if we carry them forward, not only in grief, not only in speeches, but in our actions, then we can ensure that no other young Palestinian will be forced to write their final testament just for telling the truth. The time is now, the time is now. The bridges towards liberation start with us. Let’s build them,” he said before a cheering crowd.
Khalil was one of multiple pro-Palestinian student activists who were targeted in immigration raids by US President Donald Trump’s administration, who have vowed to crack down on student activism critical of Israel.
“The first thing Trump did when he came into office was he went after pro-Palestinian students, trying to make them look like radical fringe outliers,” Layan Fuleihan, education director with the People’s Forum, told TNA.
“We all know it’s not true. There are people from all walks of life, and we’re going to keep organising.”
By Brooke Anderson
Source: The New Arab
