The world stands with Gaza!

I'm not sure of the name of the person who emailed this stuff to me, but it's a round-up of protests around the world, from NYC, to London, to Karachi, to Phoenix, to the Free Gaza Movement. Thanks for sending!

New York Demonstration:
"Yes! We Can Save Gaza. Boycott Israel Now!"


December 30, 2008On the Web at:http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5j-uta_l4FyVRi5LQC2nRgWLY-u4Q

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New York: Marchers demand boycott against Israel

"NYC Marches Again to Demand End of Massacres in Gaza and Boycott of Israel:
"For the second day in a row, over a thousand New Yorkers marched through midtown Manhattan."
December 30, 2008

On Indymedia at:
http://nyc.indymedia.org/en/2008/12/102590.shtml

By Adalah-NY For the second day in a row, over a thousand New Yorkers marched through midtown Manhattan, chanting and carrying signs and Palestinian flags, to voice opposition and demand an end to Israel's assault on Palestinians in the Gaza Strip. In the last three days, Israel's bombing of Gaza has killed over 360 Palestinians. Reports indicate that at least 60 of those killed were women and children.

The Monday evening protest, which drew a diverse and noisy crowd of more than a thousand and substantial media, began at 5 PM with leafletting and chanting at Union Square and Herald Square.

The energy grew during a symbolic funeral procession for Gaza's dead from Herald Square to Bryant Park, as marchers carried aloft two stretchers covered in black shrouds and flags, similar to those used in Palestinian funeral processions. The march culminated with loud chanting at the Israeli Consulate at 8:30 PM. It comes on the heels of a Sunday afternoon Manhattan march that drew over two thousand protesters, and will be followed by a Tuesday evening protest at the Israeli Consulate beginning at 5 PM.

Rush-hour pedestrians were handed thousands of flyers calling for an end to the massacre in Gaz and a boycott of Israel, and were greeted with chants, including:
"Obama. No more aid.Stop the funds for deadly raids;" and
"While you are shopping, bombs are dropping."

Riham Barghouti from Adalah-NY explained, "New Yorkers are out in the street because they're angry that the US government is providing Israel with the planes as well as the hundreds of tons of bombs that Israel is dropping on 1.5 million impoverished Palestinians who are packed together in the world's largest open-air prison. Silence in the face of such crimes is complicity. That's why people worldwide are stepping up the non-violent campaign of boycott, divestment and sanctions to pressure Israel to halt its human rights violations. With our government here in the US refusing to act, it's up to us as citizens to mobilize to hold Israel accountable."

The assault follows nearly three years of a tightening Israeli blockade on the Gaza Strip which began, with US support, after Hamas emerged victorious in democratic Palestinian elections in January, 2006. More recently, Israel has almost totally sealed off Gaza to the outside world, preventing shipments of food, fuel and medical supplies from reaching Gaza's civilian population, resulting in skyrocketing levels of unemployment, poverty and hunger. Israel has also conducted frequent assassinations and aerial attacks on Gaza, killing approximately 1500 Gazans since 2006 alone. Israel's siege of Gaza's civilian population and assaults against Gaza's residents constitute grave breaches of international law, including the Fourth Geneva Convention. Some observers believe Israel's attacks were timed to coincide with the holiday season, when most people turn their attention away from world events.

The flyers distributed to passersby provided information on Israel's attacks and called for support for the growing international campaign of Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) against Israel - similar to the worldwide campaign that helped end Apartheid in South Africa - in order to hold Israel accountable for its crimes.

Over the last year, Adalah-NY has carried out a successful boycott campaign against Israeli diamond mogul, settlement-builder and New York real estate developer Lev Leviev.
For photos of the protest: http://adalahny.org/index.php/photo-galleries/272-gaza-funeral-procession
By Adalah-NY info@adalahny.org http://www.adalahny.org

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Dearborn Demonstration:
"Stop the Holocaust in Gaza"

"Protesters rally against Israeli airstrikes with human chain in Dearborn"

by Karen Bouffard / The Detroit News (Detroit, Michigan)

Tuesday, December 30, 2008
On the Web at:
http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20081230/METRO/812300436/1020/NATION

DEARBORN -- Hundreds of people lined Warren Avenue for about a mile in a human chain Tuesday afternoon to protest Israel's bombings of Gaza and what they consider inhuman treatment of Palestinians who live in the region.

The mostly Arab-American demonstrators were joined by religious leaders from other faiths, as well as members of the Green Party and other political groups in protesting the Bush Administration's handling of the Middle East conflict and support of the state of Israel.

The protest, which ran from Chase Street to beyond Scaefer, was put on by the Congress of Arab American Organizations-Michigan. While local police say about 1,000 people attended the event, organizers pegged the turnout at about 5,000.

Many of the protesters waved the red, black, green and white flag of Palestine while holding large signs showing photographs of burned and maimed Palestinians injured in the air strikes against Hamas that have gone on for the last four days.

Iman Jafin, 48, of Dearborn, helped hold a sign saying "Stop the Holocaust in Gaza" and led the crowd in a chant of "Down, down, Israel. How many children you killed today."

"I have two daughters in Palestine, one of them has three children -- two girls and one boy -- and all of them are there," Jafin said. There is no medicine. I reached them on on the Internet two days ago. I'm crying every night. I don't know what happened to them now.

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Zionist beasts ram into Gaza relief boat, collapsing part of its roof:

"Gaza relief boat damaged in encounter with Israeli vessel"
December 30, 2008
On CNN at:
http://edition.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/meast/12/30/gaza.aid.boat/?iref=hpmostpop

(CNN) -- An Israeli patrol boat struck a boat carrying medical volunteers and supplies to Gaza early Tuesday as it attempted to intercept the vessel in the Mediterranean Sea, witnesses and Israeli officials said.


The Dignity arrives in Tyre, Lebanon, after it was reportedly rammed by an Israeli military vessel Tuesday.
1 of 3 CNN Correspondent Karl Penhaul was aboard the 60-foot, Gibraltar-registered pleasure boat Dignity when the contact occurred. When the boat later docked in the Lebanese port city of Tyre, severe damage was visible to the forward port side of the boat, and the front left window and part of the roof had collapsed.

The Dignity was carrying crew and 16 passengers -- physicians from Britain, Germany and Cyprus and human rights activists, including former U.S. Rep. Cynthia McKinney -- who were trying to reach Gaza through an Israeli blockade of the territory.

The captain of the Dignity said the Israelis broadcast a radio message accusing the vessel of being involved in terrorist activity. But Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesman Yigal Palmor denied that and said the radio message simply warned the vessel not to proceed to Gaza because it is a closed military area.

Palmor said there was no response to the radio message, and the vessel then tried to out-maneuver the Israeli patrol boat, leading to the collision. Watch Penhaul describe the boat damage »
Penhaul said at least two Israeli patrol boats had shadowed the Dignity for about half an hour before the collision, moving around the vessel on all sides. One of the patrol boats then shined its spotlight on the Dignity while the other, with its lights off, "very severely rammed" the boat.

The captain of the Dignity told Penhaul he received no prior warning. Only after the collision did the Israelis come on the radio to say they struck the boat because they believed it was involved in terrorist activities. Watch the chaos in Gaza and Israel »

The captain and crew said their vessel was struck intentionally, Penhaul said, but Palmor called those allegations "absurd."

"There is no intention on the part of the Israeli navy to ram anybody," Palmor said.
"I would call it ramming. Let's just call it as it is," McKinney said. "Our boat was rammed three times, twice in the front and one on the side. Watch Cynthia McKinney discuss the collision »
"Our mission was a peaceful mission to deliver medical supplies and our mission was thwarted by the Israelis -- the aggressiveness of the Israeli military," she said.

The incident occurred in international waters about 90 miles off Gaza. Israel controls the waters off Gaza's coast and routinely blocks ships from coming into the Palestinian territory as part of an ongoing blockade that also applies to the Israel-Gaza border. Human rights groups have expressed concern about the blockade on Gaza, which has restricted the delivery of emergency aid and fuel supplies.

The collision was so severe, Penhaul said, that the passengers were ordered to put on their life vests and be ready to get in lifeboats. The Dignity began taking on water, but the crew managed to pump it out of the hull long enough for the boat to reach shore.
Palmor said the vessel refused assistance after the incident.

The boat was carrying boxes of relief supplies, volunteers and journalists to Gaza, the Palestinian territory now subject to an intense Israeli bombing campaign.

Israel launched airstrikes against Gaza on Saturday in what Defense Minister Ehud Barak called an "all-out war" against the Palestinian militant group Hamas, which has ruled the territory since 2007.
The Palestinian death toll has topped 375, most of them Hamas militants, Palestinian medical sources said Tuesday. At least 60 civilians have been killed in Gaza, U.N. officials said....


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Worldwide Protests against Israeli Massacre of Gaza:
"I can recognise fascism when I see it and this is really what Israel is doing. "


"Protest demos slam Israeli aggression"
DAILY TIMES (Lahore, Pakistan)Monday, December 29, 2008
On the Web at:
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2008\12\29\story_29-12-2008_pg7_23

KARACHI: Separate protest demonstrations were held in the city on Sunday to condemn the Israeli military operation in Gaza Strip that killed around 271 Palestinians.
Hundreds of Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) activists staged a protest demonstration outside Jamia Mosque Binoria Town.
The protesters carried banners and placards inscribed with slogans against Israel, the US and India, and chanted slogans. JI Central Secretary General Syed Munawar Hussain, JI Karachi Amir Muhammad Hussain Mehnti, JI Karachi Secretary General Hafiz Naeemur Rehman and other JI office-bearers addressed the protesters. Addressing the participants of the protest demonstration, JI leader Munawar Hassan condemned the air strikes by the Israel and criticised Muslim rulers for not raising any strong voice against the killing of innocent Palestinians.

He maintained that Palestine is surrounded by the Muslims states but despite this, Israel is committing its atrocities.
JI Karachi Amir Muhammad Hussain Mehnti lamented that Israel has besieged Gaza and halted water supply besides stopping medicines and other treatment facilities to the people while the UN is playing a role of silent spectator. He maintained that world community, which raised voice over the Mumbai attacks, should also raise its voice against the Israeli atrocities. Meanwhile, the Palestine Liberation Foundation Pakistan (PLF) staged a protest against Israeli aggression in front of the local press club. Hundreds of protesters chanted slogans and torched flags.
ppi/staff report.
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"Gaza protests planned for weekend across UK"
31 December 2008


British demonstrations against Israeli bomb attacks in Gaza will gather momentum on Saturday with thousands of people expected to attend a rally in London and smaller protests planned in cities across the UK, say organisers.

Yesterday, in the third consecutive day of protest within shouting distance of the Israeli embassy in Palace Green, London, numbers had diminished to around 200 and there were no arrests. The protests are planned to continue tomorrow and on New Year's Day. A rally will be held at the Egyptian embassy in London on Friday to demand that the country's border with Gaza be opened, while the capital's larger rally will assemble on the Embankment at 12.30pm on Saturday.

Sarah Colborne, chair of the Palestine Solidarity Campaign, said: "Thousands will be demonstrating all across the country. People are very angry, some of them are making spontaneous demonstrations. Everyone is building up for the Saturday protests now."

Around 100 police officers watched yesterday's protesters, who had been cordoned off in a section of Kensington High Street. Commander Bob Broadhurst, in charge of public order policing for the Met, said: "We are very mindful of the deeply passionate response this conflict causes for some people.
"There will be further demonstrations this week. The Met is committed to and will always facilitate lawful, legitimate protest. We are working closely with the organiser of the demonstrations being held until New Year's Day to ensure they can make their point safely, whilst we minimise any disruption in that area."
He added: "I would urge anyone else planning to hold a demonstration to come and work with us. What the Met will do is support lawful protest, but ensure all steps are taken to deal with those who break the law, or attempt to disrupt legitimate demonstrations."

On Monday, seven protesters were arrested and mounted police moved in to disperse the crowds. Yesterday, as temperatures fell, the mood was quieter and attendance more sparse.

Violetta Thomson, 73, from London, said it was the first day that she had attended. She said she could not watch anymore on television without doing something. "I was brought up in fascist Spain and came here 30 years ago. I can recognise fascism when I see it and this is really what Israel is doing. The Israeli people are not fascists, I don't think they really see the carnage their government is responsible for," she said.
Beside her, Vicky Scarlett, 75, said: "Human instincts say you must do something about this, it shouldn't be going on. In the most moderate of terms it is unjust. It's an abomination for the world to stand and watch this happening.".

Protests have also been organised for Saturday in Glasgow, Edinburgh, Portsmouth and Hull.

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Arizona Demonstration against the Israeli Massacre of Gaza--


CARAMA Coalition of Arabs and Muslims in America

CARAMA movement in coordination with other local and student Arab/Muslims organizations has organized a mass protest today December 28, 2008, at the busy intersection of Camelback and Central St, in Downtown Phoenix. This protest, according to local senior members in the Arab/Muslims community was the largest Arab/Muslims protest ever in Arizona. More than 350 protesters continuously for two hours chanted slogans like "Palestine will be free from the river to the sea", "free free Palestine" and "free free Gaza" قامت حركة تحالف العرب والمسلمين في امريكا (كرامة) وبالتعاون مع عدد من المنظمات المحلية والطلابية العربية والمسلمة بتنظيم مظاهرة هي الاكبر من نوعها في تاريخ الجالية العربية والمسلمة الصغيرة نسبياًَ في أريزونا والتي لا يتجاوز عدد أفرادها بضعة ألاف. حيث تجمع أكثر من ثلاثمائة وخمسين متظاهراًَ على تقاطع طرق كامل باك مع سنتر ستريت المزدحم في وسط مدينة فينكس عاصمة الولاية للتنديد بالعدوان الإسرائيلي الغاشم على قطاع غزة، وقد رفع المتظاهرون لافتات تدين الدعم الامريكي للكيان الصهيوني وأخرى تتهم "إسرائيل" بشن حرب إبادة شاملة ضد أهلنا في قطاع غزة، كذلك ردد المتظاهرون طوال ساعتين كاملتين شعارات وطنية مثل "فلسطين حرة من البحر إلى النهر" و"عاشت فلسطين" و"الحرية لغزة"
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