PRESS STATEMENT
DOZENS OF ORGANIZATIONS IN NYC WILL MOBILIZE TO DEMAND AN END TO U.S. FUNDING OF ISRAELI CRIMES
3:00 pm, December 8, 2023
Foley Square, NYC
December 7, 2023 New York City – A broad coalition of progressive organizations in New York City will protest in the heart of big business, Wall St., on December 8 to demand a definitive end to all U.S. funding of Israel and an immediate and permanent ceasefire.
The endorsers of the protest include: the Palestinian Youth Movement, the People’s Forum, the ANSWER Coalition, Al-Awda NY, the Palestinian American Community Center, Nodutdol, Dissenters, Anakbayan Manhattan, SALAM, Bangladeshi Americans for Political Progress, American Muslims for Palestine, Jews Against White Supremacy, Mexicanos Unidos, CUNY For Palestine, the Young Communist League, CUNY Law SJP, the Audre Lorde Project, Damayan, Defend Democracy in Brazil, and No Tech For Apartheid.
The protest comes a week after Israel resumed its genocidal bombing of the Gaza Strip after a brief week-long pause. The airstrikes are reportedly the most intense in the nearly two months of Israel’s war on Gaza and the death toll has already crossed 20,000. With aid once again heavily restricted, it is expected that many of the more than 40,000 injured will die from lack of access to proper care. Palestinians in the enclave and international humanitarian organizations have warned that nowhere is safe in Gaza.
While visiting Israel last week, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken supposedly urged Israeli officials to preserve civilian life and infrastructure in Gaza, all while greenlighting the resumption of their military campaign. We say: If the U.S. wants to wipe its hands clean of Israel’s genocide it should stop all aid to Israel and demand an immediate and permanent ceasefire.
On December 8, in response to the call to #ShutItDown4Palestine, people in dozens of cities will once again be taking the streets, walking out of their universities, and staging pickets to disrupt business as usual and demand an immediate and permanent ceasefire and an end to U.S. funding of Israel’s genocide.
“People of conscience have watched with horror for the last two months as politicians callously ignore the demands of broad sectors of U.S. society for a ceasefire and continue to pledge complete political and economic support to Israel. However, our strength on the streets has forced them to make important concessions and we will keep the pressure on until the U.S. government has no other choice but to stop funding the Israeli war machine,” said Layan Fuleihan of The People’s Forum.
“As winter begins in Gaza and temperatures drop, the suffering of the nearly 2 million displaced people will only get worse. We refuse to abandon our Palestinian brothers and sisters who continue to resist and stay in their land against all odds. We will not allow our tax dollars to fund such unconscionable suffering,” said Munir Marwan of the Palestinian Youth Movement.
Endorsers include: Palestinian Youth Movement, People’s Forum, Answer Coalition, Nodutdol, City Workers for Palestine, Mexicanos Unidos, Plaza Proletaria, Jews Against White Supremacy, NYU Law SJP, Anakbayan Manhattan, No Tech For Apartheid, Defend Democracy in Brazil, Audre Lorde Project, Columbia Law Students Coalition for a Free Palestine, Al Awda NY/NJ: The Palestine Right To Return Coalition, Healthcare Workers for Palestine, BAPP, American Muslims for Palestine, People’s Dispatch, Artists Against Apartheid, International People’s Assembly
For more information about the December 8 Global Shutdown for Palestine and a list of the planned actions, visit the website shutitdown4palestine.org
