Pro-Palestine protests massively overtake pro-Zionist protests in US
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The United States is witnessing far more pro-Palestinian protests than pro-Zionist ones in light of the ongoing genocide in Gaza.
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Protesters rally during a pro-Palestinian demonstration asking for a cease-fire in Gaza at Union Station in Washington, November 17, 2023 (AP)
Amidst the ongoing Israeli genocide in Gaza, cities across the United States have become a hotspot for protests, with several hundred reported since the outbreak of hostilities, according to data from the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project (ACLED), as reported by Axios.
In light of the escalation in Israeli aggression on Gaza, there has also been a sizeable uptick in the number of pro-Palestine protests taking place all around the globe, and perhaps most notably in the United States.
Opinion polls highlight that younger Americans, in particular, are growing more sympathetic to the Palestinian cause since the start of the latest round of Israeli aggression.
The Ministry of Health reports a devastating toll, with over 18,200 Palestinians killed since the start of the Israeli occupation's onslaught on October 7.
ACLED took a look at all the protests and classified them into three groups: pro-Israeli protests, pro-Palestinian protests, and neutral protests, i.e., ones calling for a ceasefire but not expressing any pro-Israeli or pro-Palestinian sentiment.
The trend in the US reveals an evolving landscape of sentiment. Initially, Operation al-Aqsa Flood, demonstrations in the country were predominantly pro-Zionist.
However, as the Israeli military response gained momentum, pro-Palestinian protests began to outnumber their pro-Israeli counterparts within a week, as indicated by the data.
Notably, nearly half of all pro-Israeli protests worldwide, as tracked by ACLED, have taken place in the US, surpassing the numbers in any other country.
Pro-Palestine protests peaked on November 9, wherein 59 took place in one day, while the day with the most Israeli protests was October 9, when 43 protests took place.
The Israeli National Security Institute reported in November that there has been an escalation in anti-Israeli sentiment, with protests taking place nearly all over the world.
Pro-Palestine protests cannot be quelled
According to comprehensive data analysis, a total of 3,891 demonstrations, expressing both support and opposition to the Israeli occupation, have taken place in 92 countries, underscoring the growing hatred for "Israel" in light of its aggression on Gaza.
The Israeli institute, however, noted that the sheer number of pro-Palestinian demonstrations greatly overshadowed that of pro-Zionist ones.
Analyzing data compiled from the first six days of the aggression on Gaza shows that "Israel's" unpopularity was skyrocketing, especially in comparison to the high rate of pro-Palestine protests. 69% of the protests during those six days were in support of Palestine while a mere 31% were in favor of the Israeli genocide in Gaza.
A major shift, however, took place on October 13, when Hamas declared a "Day of Rage", which resulted in a surge of pro-Palestinian demonstrations that sought to condemn the Israeli occupation. The pro-Palestine protests accounted for 95% of all demonstrations while the Israeli occupation had a puny 5%.
Pro-Palestinian demonstrations are surging all over the globe, taking place in at least 88 countries. Aside from the rest of the Arab world where pro-Palestinian demonstrations are taking place regularly at dozens per day, and where Yemen is in the lead by a whopping 486 demonstrations thus far, the United States has taken the lion's share of demonstrations, with 402 demonstrations taking place there.
Moreover, Turkey had 355 protests while Iran had 275. Comparatively speaking, only 182 pro-Israeli demonstrations have taken place in the United States, one out of only 45 countries that saw such gatherings.
Solidarity with Palestine obstructed
However, solidarity with Palestine does not come without a price, with numerous Western states putting in place measures in order to undermine any support for the cause.
For example, in France, the abrupt cancellation of the permit for a pro-Palestine protest march in France provided legal grounds for the police to employ a form of political repression reminiscent of the measures taken during the yellow vests protests – imposing substantial fines.
Just 90 minutes prior to a highly anticipated pro-Palestine march scheduled to take place in Paris in late October to denounce 'Israel's' atrocities in Gaza, local authorities suddenly rescinded the protest permit.
In the United Kingdom, for example, pro-Palestinian demonstrators marched peacefully through central London on Saturday amid clashes between right-wing counter-protesters and the police as the former sought to disturb the peaceful protests.
