Tens of thousands march for Gaza in Los Angeles

As part of the March 2 Global Day of Action, Los Angeles saw tens of thousands take over a huge area of downtown. It was among the biggest – if not THE biggest – in Los Angeles since Israel began its genocidal assault on the people of Gaza.

The action was initiated and endorsed by the Palestinian Youth Movement, ANSWER Coalition, Jewish Voice for Peace, Labor for Palestine, Socialist Unity Party and many other groups. The size of the crowd made it difficult to walk through or advance from the back of the march to the front, much less determine its numbers.

The action included many young Palestinians, and signs and banners indicated that Jewish organizations and individuals, labor unions, LGBTQ+ people, and Black, Brown and Asian people from the neighborhoods of L.A. all came out in solidarity.

The march was followed by a long car caravan. Between people on foot and cars and trucks decorated with signs, banners, and Palestinian flags, the protest covered an area of about 30 blocks of downtown.

Several events happened while the march was being organized and word was spreading, adding to its size and militancy. Aaron Bushnell burned himself to death in his Air Force uniform on Feb. 25 at the front gate of the Zionist consulate in Washington, D.C., shouting “Free Palestine” as he doused himself with gasoline and ignited it. 

Just four days later, Zionist forces murdered more than 100 people and wounded more than 700 who were waiting for food from aid trucks. And, in the weeks leading up to March 2, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced to the world that a ground invasion of the southern city of Rafah was imminent.

While the flow of arms from the U.S. continues, the White House has been calling for a temporary pause in the war against Gazans. The majority of humanity is demanding an immediate and permanent end to the genocide. No one in the Biden administration has even hinted that the supply of weapons and funds should stop. 

The blood of more than 30,000 Palestinians is on Joe Biden’s hands. But the worldwide movement against genocide is growing in numbers and determination. Palestine will never die.