New York Activists Protest Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Congress Visit
The resilience of pro-Palestinian New York groups was on display at July 24 demonstration in Washington D.C.
By Claudia Gohn
3rd St. and Pennsylvania Ave. on July 24 during the “Arrest Netanyahu” protest
Last week, thousands of demonstrators filled the streets of Washington, D.C., protesting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Congress visit. Protesters held signs reading “Anti-Israel is Not Anti-Semitism,” “End the Genocide,” and “End All Aid to Israel” as they chanted and called for an end to Israel’s occupation.
Organizers walked around with cases of water and watermelon to help attendees to rehydrate. Keffiyehs draped over shoulders and banners hoisted high in the air. Through the heat, humidity, and intermittent light sprinkling, lectors belted over the loudspeakers. One speaker was a representative from The People’s Forum, a working class, community-led group in New York City pushing for equity. “We will continue building this movement. We will continue building our forces,” Education Director Layan Fuleihan said. “We will march today and we will continue organizing and marching because we know that the historical place for us to be is the ones who are determining our own future.”
“And that future has no place for genocide,” Fuleihan finished.
The People’s Forum along with many other New York-based organizations attended the “Arrest Netanyahu” protests on Wednesday including NYC Palestinian Youth Movement and Queens Shut it Down for Palestine. This protest was hundreds of miles away from their home city in the middle of the week, but these protesters hopped on a bus at sunrise to show out in D.C. This is not the first time protesters have traveled from outside of D.C. either. In fact, one protester from Boston said this was the third time he had traveled for a demonstration in D.C.
Yuwei Pan, who is an organizer and volunteer at Shut it Down for Palestine Coalition in Queens, talked before the protest about why she and her fellow New Yorker activists planned on going down to D.C. “The reason why we're showing up is that we stand with the people of Palestine” they said, “and against the genocide that is happening committed by Israel with the full support of the United States.”
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel was invited by Congress to come speak, which is the fourth time he has made the visit—those in the past concerning conflicts like the U.S.’s concerns over Iran nuclear power in 2015. On this particular occasion, Netanyahu claimed that almost no civilians had been killed in Rafah, and that “Iran is funding and promoting anti-Israel protests in America” during his address. This rhetoric follows 10 months of war, at least dozens of deaths in Rafah, and waves of protests across the country and world.
And of course there have also been many protests in New York City over the past 10 months, from marches to college encampments. But Pan said that this protest was different, pulling New Yorkers away from home.
“Obviously we need actions in New York and we host actions in New York all the time. That said, this is a very special moment. Netanyahu is not coming to New York, he's coming to D.C. because that's the political center for the United States,” Pan shared. “That's where the Congress is. That's where the White House is. So strategically, if we want to apply maximum pressure on our government, on the political establishment right now, in this moment, we can make the biggest waves or impact by going down to D.C. while he's there.”
Yuwei Pan (right) and fellow organizers from Queens at the July 24 D.C. protest
During the speakers’ addresses, Pan and fellow Queens New Yorkers held up a banner that read “End The Occupation. Fund Our Population. Queens For Palestine.” Pan says that some people confused the word “Queens” and didn’t immediately understand that the sign refers to the New York borough. But that just meant that even more people took their picture. Pan and their fellow protesters regularly checked in on each other, as well, showing a strong sense of community among the Queens demonstrators.
After the speakers wrapped up, protesters began assembling and moving in a march up Pennsylvania Avenue. Some demonstrators held coffin-shaped boxes wrapped in Palestinian flags. Others used mega phones to lead chants like “Free Palestine” among the crowds. A couple protesters stood up on the trucks that blocked the roadways while waving Palestinian flags.
During the march, police officers began spraying tear gas and pepper spray into the crowd, and made several arrests. Protesters also burned U.S. flags and a Netanyahu figure in front of Union Station. Some demonstrators got spray in their eyes while others walked away from the march with irritated, burning skin.
Rafael Garcia, another organizer in the Shut it Down for Palestine Coalition in Queens, attended the protest and march in D.C. Fortunately, he was not sprayed with tear gas, but was deeply disturbed upon witnessing the aftermath of police pushback. “There were a number of people who were guests with tear gas and were assaulted by police officers. And that was not a pretty sight,” he said. “And I was a little worried for some people because it looked like some people were getting hurt. I would see people laying on the ground on the street with other activists, literally pouring water into their eyes.”
Garcia said that he was less willing to risk arrest at this protest as he had in university encampments last spring. But he still felt compelled to attend the protest all the way down in D.C. “It's incredible, seriously, to see that many people from New York, that many buses literally just being packed in, people had to get up at four or five in the morning to do this,” he said.
“They literally had to give their entire day. And to be able to travel to another part of the country just to demonstrate against Netanyahu. And I think it really shows both the resilience, but also the strength of character of New Yorkers.”
Garcia is a Jackson Heights-native and has always felt strongly about the New Yorker community. He believes protests should be done with people in your community, who you’ve developed trust and kinship with. And he did this with his Queens companions last week, just as he’s done many times before.
“I've been in spaces before with a lot of non-New Yorkers, and have been told before that I give off the vibe that New York is a personality. And you know what? Yeah. I think New York is a personality, and that personality is saying ‘absolutely not’ in the face of genocide and apartheid.”
Claudia Gohn is a co-founder and co-editor-in-chief at Grassroots. She can be reached at claudia@grassrootsmagazinenyc.com