New York rally declares: Jerusalem is Palestine!

New York City, April 29. Photo: Al-Awda NY

The chant “Palestine will be free from the river to the sea!” was heard by thousands of people in New York City on April 29. Manhattan’s Herald Square was filled with protestors who were outraged at Israel’s attacks on worshippers at the Al-Aqsa mosque during the holy month of Ramadan.

At least 150 worshippers were injured by Israeli cops on April 15 with rubber bullets and other weapons. Israeli troops and settlers have murdered dozens of Palestinians on the occupied West Bank this year.

The Al-Aqsa mosque is located in Jerusalem, which in Arabic is called Quds. The Iranian Revolution established Al-Quds Day on the last Friday of Ramadan to rally people worldwide to defend the capital of Palestine.

This year Al-Quds Day fell on April 29. That day people rallied in Detroit, Johannesburg, Lagos, Paris, Tehran and more than 50 other cities.

In New York City, Marya Abbas of the Muslim Congress and Nerdeen Kiswani of Within Our Lifetime co-chaired a rally that featured many speakers. 

They included Dr. Raza Moosvi of the Muslim Congress and Kawthar Abdullah of the Yemeni Alliance, who described the suffering the U.S.-armed Saudi military has inflicted on Yemen. A young boy, Taqi Abbas Abidi, gave a beautiful and melodious recitation from the Quran. 

It was pointed out that the U.S. government has given over $140 billion to the apartheid regime occupying Palestine. A rabbi denounced the racism of Zionism.

Lamis Deek of Al-Awda NY, the Palestine Right to Return Coalition, spoke of the upcoming Rising to Return conference planned for May 6-8 at the Peoples Forum in New York City. 

Bill Dores of Struggle-La Lucha newspaper and the Socialist Unity Party / Partido de Socialismo Unido pointed out that Washington funds and arms the Zionist occupation regime in Palestine at the expense of working-class communities here. He called on workers and oppressed people in the U.S. to stand in solidarity with the people of Palestine. 

Among the organizations sponsoring the event was MuslimCongress.org; Al-Awda NY, the Palestine Right to Return Coalition; Jafria Association of North America; Within Our Lifetime-United For Palestine; United National Antiwar Coalition; Muslims for Progress; Samidoun: Palestinian Prisoner Solidarity Network; BDSapp.org;  Muslims United for Justice; Muslim Girl; Yemeni Alliance Committee NY; Socialist Unity Party; Workers World Party; International Action Center; and CAIR NJ.

Free Palestine!


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