'No Christmas as Usual in Genocide': Pro-Palestine protests held in US

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: The Guardian
25 Dec 2023 08:56
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Organizers with Shut It Down for Palestine slam the Israeli aggression on Gaza as an act of “incredible cruelty”.

The US Capitol building is seen in the distance as demonstrators gather in Freedom Plaza during a rally in support of Palestinians in Washington, DC, on November 4, 2023. (Stefani Reynolds/AFP)

Thousands of pro-Palestinian demonstrators in the United States brandished the pan-Arab colors flag and wore the symbolic Palestinian Koufiyyeh during coordinated "No Xmas as Usual in a Genocide" rallies and marches on Saturday, The Guardian reported.

The organizers, affiliated with Shut It Down for Palestine, strategically chose the second busiest shopping day of the year, the day preceding Christmas Eve, to stage protests as part of their ongoing efforts to disrupt both civic and commercial activities. Their plan includes organizing actions to boycott, disrupt, and rally at commercial centers.

Organizers with Shut It Down for Palestine condemned Israeli aggression on Gaza as an act of “incredible cruelty”.

“Netanyahu, you can’t hide. There’s no joy in genocide,” a procession for Palestine chants as it passes outside St. Patrick’s Cathedral in Midtown Manhattan, where Christmas Midnight Mass is currently underway. pic.twitter.com/2Yh0xbPVRV
— Talia Jane ❤️‍🔥 (@taliaotg) December 25, 2023

“This Christmas, occupation forces are sniping Christians sheltering in their besieged churches in Gaza, and Christians in Bethlehem have declared that their celebrations are canceled,” the group said in a post. “People everywhere must continue to declare that there can be no Christmas as usual during a genocide!”

Social media posts depicted demonstrations in various cities, including New York City, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Toronto, and Chicago. In Chicago, a procession of vehicles briefly obstructed a highway and the entrance to Chicago O'Hare Airport.

'While you're shopping, bombs are dropping'

Protests in New York, orchestrated by pro-Palestinian organizations such as the People's Forum and Palestinian Youth Movement, took place at Fifth Avenue and 59th Street. This location, situated at the pinnacle of Manhattan's upscale shopping district, served as the backdrop for the rally, during which demonstrators chanted: "While you're shopping, bombs are dropping."

In San Francisco, as reported by NBC News, demonstrators gathered to advocate for a lasting ceasefire and to demand an end to US expenditures on the Israeli aggression. Resident Farid Babrakzai expressed discontent, stating that instead of allocating funds to address domestic social issues, the US government seems inclined to allocate resources to war and occupation.

Regarding the situation in Gaza, Health Ministry officials estimate that over 20,400 people have been killed as the Israeli genocide is ongoing, with up to two-thirds of them being women and children.

Several experts acknowledged that the reported death toll in Gaza is lower than the actual number, and they caution that a significant portion of the population is on the verge of starvation.

While the world celebrates #Christmas, "Israel" is forcing the people of Gaza to mark the occasion amid brutal bombing targeting the Strip. pic.twitter.com/Ku7o1lcdSC
— Al Mayadeen English (@MayadeenEnglish) December 24, 2023

An Israeli airstrike in central Gaza resulted in at least 68 casualties, according to health officials on Sunday. On Friday, the UN Security Council passed a resolution urging an increase in humanitarian aid to Gaza. However, the resolution fell short of including language that called for an "urgent suspension of hostilities." UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres later emphasized that the only way to halt the "ongoing nightmare" in Gaza is through a humanitarian ceasefire, given "Israel's" control over aid access to the territory.

A sum of 136 aid workers from the organization have been killed due to Israeli airstrikes. "Something we have never seen in the history of the United Nations,” Guterres said. “The real problem is that the way Israel is conducting this offensive is creating massive obstacles to the distribution of humanitarian aid inside Gaza,” Guterres added.

Avril Benoît, the Executive Director of MSF (Doctors Without Borders) USA, mentioned in a statement that the UN resolution had “been watered down to the point that its impact on the lives of civilians in Gaza will be nearly meaningless”.

Amnesty International characterized the US threat to wield its veto, stalling and diluting the resolution, as "disgraceful". The demonstrations on Saturday occurred amid growing public and political expectations for the Biden administration to leverage its influence with "Israel" to secure a humanitarian ceasefire.

Joe Biden mentioned that he did not urge Israeli occupation's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, for a ceasefire during their Saturday call. “I did not ask for a ceasefire,” Biden said.

Meanwhile, dozens of Palestinians, mostly children and women, were killed and injured in a new massacre committed by the Israeli occupation forces on Christmas Eve, targeting numerous homes in al-Maghazi Refugee Camp in the Gaza Strip.

BREAKING: ISRAELI WARPLANES CARRIED OUT OVER 50 STRIKES AT AL-NUSEIRAT AL-BUREIJ AND AL-MAGHAZI REFUGEE CAMP IN GAZA pic.twitter.com/IA2vXxyXAD
— Sulaiman Ahmed (@ShaykhSulaiman) December 25, 2023

Medical sources at Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital confirmed the arrival of the bodies of 70 martyrs as a result of the Israeli artillery shelling and airstrikes that targeted the refugee camp. The sources added that several injuries were brought to the hospital, including ones in critical condition.

Israeli warplanes carried out more than 50 consecutive airstrikes early Monday, including a series of belts of fire on the al-Nuseirat, al-Bureij, and al-Maghazi refugee camps.