San Jose protests attacks on Gaza and Yemen

San Jose, CA – On March 19, a crowd of 100 people gathered in front of the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Library in the heart of downtown to protest the bombing of Gaza and the strikes on Yemen that have killed at least 400 Palestinians and 50 Yemenis.

Protesters held signs reading “We will not be complicit,” “Divest from Alphabet and Microsoft” and “Silicon Valley has blood on their hands.” They displayed a banner with “I support Palestinian Human Rights” for passing traffic to read and chanted “Free Palestine.”

Philip Nguyen, an SEIU 521 steward said, “The ceasefire was only temporary to reset Israel’s military forces – that much is clear now more than ever. Our taxpayer dollars are lining the pockets of war profiteers to sell bombs and drones.” Nguyen continued, “Our duty here is to fight like hell to turn off that money faucet! To boycott, to divest!”

Mike Annab, a Palestinian American community member with San Jose Against War, said, “The Palestinian and American people share a lot in common; they both share a love of freedom and liberty and a disdain for injustice and oppression.” Annab continued by encouraging the crowd, “You’re here. You showed up. Keep showing up for Gaza.”

Andy Schaefer of San Jose Against War highlighted the connection between Trump’s attacks domestically and abroad saying, “An attack against one is an attack against all. Whether reactionaries target our immigrant communities, as they did when ICE illegally kidnapped and assaulted Ulises, or if they target our Palestinian communities, as they did when they illegally kidnapped Mahmoud Khalil, or illegally kidnapped Leqaa Kordia, it’s clear that nobody is safe.”

Lena Hanson, a San Jose community member, addressed the crowd about their recent experiences in the West Bank recounting, “I held the hand of a dear friend two days before he died from cancer. He left behind a wife and four young children. Israel did not allow him to go into Jerusalem to get lifesaving treatment because that is what an occupying force does.”

Hanson continued, “We are witnessing Israel trying to normalize apartheid and we cannot let this happen – no normalizing genocide, no normalizing occupation!”

Drusie Kazanova, another organizer from San Jose Against War, commented on the attacks on the resistance, “Let us not be fooled – these attacks do not indicate the strength of the Zionist regime and its sponsor, the U.S. On the contrary, these shameful acts of cowardice are the signs of a dying empire. Just as an animal lashes out when mortally wounded, so do these paper tigers resort to genocidal violence when fighting a losing battle.”

Kazanova finished with a call to action, “As people living here in the belly of the beast, we must stand in solidarity with Gaza, Yemen, and the rest of the Axis of Resistance. We must continue to put pressure on our government, on corporations, on the media, and on all forces committing or enabling these genocidal attacks. We refuse to be complicit.”

#SanJoseCA #CA #Palestine #AntiWarMovement