Angry Protests Throughout the World Condemn Trump/Pence Regime's Decision to Recognize Jerusalem as Israel's Capital
December 11, 2017 | Revolution Newspaper | revcom.us
The Gaza Strip. Photo: AP
Palestinians across the West Bank, East Jerusalem, and the Gaza Strip have been courageously protesting the decision announced by Trump to move the U.S. embassy to Jerusalem—and recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital. Israeli Defense Forces have responded with rubber bullets, and real bullets, which have already killed at least five Palestinians and wounded hundreds more—most as a result of air strikes by Israeli jets on the people of Gaza—including scores of children. The righteous resistance of the Palestinian people has been joined by tens of thousands of their supporters, who have taken the streets throughout the Middle East, Asia, Europe, and within the U.S. These protests thus far have given expression to the just demands of the Palestinian people, and to their anger at this latest outrage at the blood-covered hands of U.S. imperialism.
Throughout the Middle East and Asia:
* In Beirut, Lebanon, where close to 500,000 Palestinian refugees are forced to live in refugee camps and are denied many basic rights, Al Jazeera reported that on Friday hundreds of Palestinian protesters were fired on with tear gas, and clashed with Lebanese security forces blocking the main road to the U.S. embassy. Again on Sunday demonstrators, now thousands strong, marched toward the U.S. embassy. The security forces fired tear gas and water cannons into crowds. Meanwhile, tires were being set on fire, and rocks thrown, and protesters tried to rip down a barbed wire fence outside the embassy.
* Three thousand protesters gathered outside the U.S. consulate in Istanbul, Turkey, carrying Palestinian flags and anti-U.S. and anti-Israel signs. There were protests as well in the capital of Ankara and two other cities. In Amman, Jordan, demonstrators held large posters of President Trump with the words, “Go to hell.” And hundreds of Iranians held rallies across the country on Friday condemning Trump’s decision.
* Tens of thousands of protesters rallied in Morocco’s capital Rabat on Sunday against Trump’s declaration, according to AFP and the Times of Israel. Protesters waved Palestinian flags as they marched through the streets and chanted, “Jerusalem, capital of Palestine!” One protester said “The Palestinian people have suffered so much and continue to suffer because of Israel’s barbaric colonization.” And a lawyer from Casablanca, marching with his six-year-old daughter, said, “We must, more than ever, make our voices heard against this decision by Trump that will deprive the Palestinians of their land.”
* In Kabul, the capital of Afghanistan, more than 1,000 demonstrators marched after Friday prayers carrying banners with anti-Israel and anti-U.S. slogans. They burned effigies of Trump as well as American and Israeli flags, and some tried to get to the barricaded U.S. embassy. At the same time, according to an AFP reporter, 2,500 demonstrators were protesting in the western city of Herat, while 500 people rallied in Kunduz.
* And in neighboring Pakistan's capital, Islamabad, people protested, chanting anti-Trump slogans and setting fire to American and Israeli flags, and effigies of Trump.
* Some 5,000 demonstrators in Muslim-majority Malaysia marched on the U.S. embassy in the capital of Kuala Lumpur Friday after the main weekly Muslim prayers in a nearby mosque, chanting and waving banners reading "Hands off Jerusalem" and "Down USA President Trump."
* In Indonesia, the world's most populous Muslim-majority country, there have been three demonstrations against Trump's decision. The latest one, on December 10, saw 10,000 people demonstrate outside the U.S. embassy in Jakarta, the capital. Some carried signs reading "No to Trump" and others carried large Palestinian flags.
Demonstrations Across Europe:
* Thousands protested at the U.S. embassy in London in support of the Palestinians and against Trump's announcement. A protest at the U.S. embassy in Rome, Italy's capital, was joined by protesters from the U.S. The protest at the U.S. embassy in Paris, France, came at the same time as people are demanding that the scheduled visit by Netanyahu, Israel's prime minister, be cancelled. More than 4,000 Greeks and Palestinians marched through the center of Athens, Greece on Friday to the U.S. embassy. People chanted “Free Palestine,” and called Americans “killers of the people.”
Protests Inside the U.S.
* On Thursday night several hundred demonstrators rallied in Daley Plaza in Chicago before disrupting rush hour traffic as they marched on the Israeli consulate, condemning Trump’s decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital. People waved flags and chanted “Free Palestine!” A group of violent neo-Nazi counter-protesters wearing masks and chanting the Nazi slogan “blood and soil” tried to disrupt the demonstration, but were driven off by the protesters.
* Hundreds of protesters filled Times Square in New York City on Friday evening to denounce Trump’s decision and express their support of the liberation struggle of the Palestinian people with the chant: "From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free."
* In San Francisco more than 100 people rallied at United Nations Plaza on Saturday to condemn Trump’s decision. People addressed the crowd in English and Arabic. Their chants included “Hey hey, ho ho, the occupation has got to go,” and “Free Palestine.” Their demand was that Jerusalem be turned over to the Palestinians. KQED reported that the rally was organized by the Arab Resource and Organizing Center and co-sponsored by almost 50 Bay Area organizations including some Jewish organizations. They reported that one of the Palestinians who spoke at the rally used to live in Jerusalem. He said: “Coming here ... there are people sharing these feelings and it’s great.”
* On Wednesday night in Boston, on the heels of Trump’s announcement, a group of about 50 young Jews with a group known as “If Not Now” held signs denouncing war and occupation, and chanted “Stop the move.” The demonstration was held in front of AIPAC (American Israel Public Affairs Committee), the most powerful Zionist group inside the USA, which had already praised the decision as “an important, historic step.”
* Over 200 people protested and marched in Houston on Saturday against Trump’s declaration to move the U.S. embassy to Jerusalem. The "Emergency rally: Jerusalem is the capital of Palestine" was organized by Students for Justice in Palestine from the University of Houston. It was a spirited rally in support of Palestine—with chants like, "When people are occupied, resistance is justified"; "Intifada, intifada, long live the intifada"; "From the river to the sea, Palestine must be free"; "1, 2, 3, 4, occupation no more, 5, 6, 7, 8, Israel is a racist state"; "Viva Palestina," and several others in Arabic. The people who came out were overwhelmingly Arabs, of all ages.
* The group “If Not Now,” a movement of young American Jews out to end support by Jews in this country for Israeli occupation, issued a call-to-action and quickly took #StopTheMove to the streets in many cities in protest, including Los Angeles, San Francisco, Boston, Washington, D.C., and Chicago where they went to Trump Tower. Their statement said in part: “Trump’s dangerous decision to pander to the right-wing extremists here and in Israel by recognizing Jerusalem as Israel’s capital and move the embassy both legitimizes the brutal policies of Occupation and will lead to the next wave of unnecessary death for Israelis and Palestinians.”
* Jewish Voice for Peace issued a statement condemning Trump’s announcement as a “move that would make the U.S. the only country in the world to do so. This move is counter to international law and is a clear attempt by Israel and the U.S. to consolidate Israeli annexation of land. This move is reckless, endangering the lives of Palestinians and Israelis on the ground.”
France. Photo: AP Italy. Photo: AP
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