Portland Marches for Palestine on Saturday; a report
Yesterday, on a sunny but frigid day, we marched for Palestine. As the genocide continues, and Israel prepared for a ground incursion into Gaza, we took to the streets, a week after the last major rally. What we are watching done on our dime, to Gaza, is nothing short of genocide. A genocide that threatens to involve us in a bloody and global war.
We began the morning with a full meal at Cedo’s. Cedo’s, in North Portland, is owned by a kind and older Palestinian couple. They take pride in the staples of Palestinian cuisine. I ordered a plate of falafel, with a side platter of hummus. The food was prepared with care and brought to us by the husband and wife who seemed to enjoy serving their guests. Especially when the friend who takes you is one of their biggest fans and patrons.
I went with the classics which did not disappoint. Hummus topped with bits of garlic and a pool of olive oil, dusted with a light spice. Dip the pita into the paste and it is absolutely delicious. On the side, two falafel balls with pickled vegetables and tahini sauce with spice. To be frank, it was my first sample of a falafel, as I usually lean towards meat. I was delighted at the flavor, especially with the sauces. Overall, I give Cedo’s my heartfelt thanks and recommendation for simple, affordable, and authentic Palestinian fare.
Content, with a full belly, we were ready to rally and march for Palestine.
The rally gathered at the office of Senator Jeff Merkeley, at the World Trade Center in the heart of downtown. Comrades poured in over the space of an hour. At first we arrived as over 100 filled the square. Then, the crowd grew to well over 1,000 people as the organizers proceeded to speak about the plight of the Palestinian people.
While many were angry, with signs denouncing Israel and the US, Biden and Netanyahu; the feeling in the air was one of excitement. Many of us were wanting to see comrades again, and be in a space where together we could demand change, a ceasefire. Hope prevailed despite the horrors that filled our phone screens.
Many young people spoke about the issue at hand. That the US funds an apartheid state. Most harrowing was what speakers continued to point out. Internet and phone services are down in Gaza, meaning whatever atrocities the Israelis commit are committed in silence.
At times it is hard to sit with that feeling. To know that it is our taxes that fund Israel’s brutality. And while we have no control over it for now, we must continue to struggle, to demand that we end our support of a fascist state.
One elderly Jewish gentleman spoke about how he was named after his uncle who died in the Holocaust. And that it was this specific backstory of the genocide of his people, that he could not stand idly by as his people committed another ethnic cleansing. “Not in our name! Not in the name of our faith!,” He declared.
“Not In Our Name” is a powerful mantra that we have begun to see spread across the states in the wake of Israeli retaliation to the incidents on October 7th. Since then, countless American Jews have organized under the banner “Jewish Voice for Peace” and “If Not Now, When”. They decry the collective punishment and genocide of Gazans as a response. They criticize Israeli apartheid laws. And they do so by declaring that no such denial of human rights should not be done in the name of the Jewish faith. That Judaism is what prohibits them from supporting the genocide of the innocent men, women, and children locked in Gaza.
Jewish Americans, demanding a ceasefire, successfully occupied the US Capitol for a day. Capitol Police arrested nearly 300, but the activists stayed peaceful and continued to chant “NOT IN OUR NAME!” and “CEASEFIRE, NOW!”. On October the 27th they occupied the Grand Central Terminal in New York City during rush hour. Thousands of Jewish folks and allies wore shirts with the same message, and held painted banners reading, “Ceasefire”, and “Mourn the Dead, Fight Like Hell for the Living”.
The week before witnessed a series of attacks on those demanding peace. Obviously the onslaught of Gaza has continued. In one day, Israeli forces hit over 400 targets. They have dropped more firepower in one week on the narrow strip of land than the US did in a single month of the invasion of Afghanistan; the firepower is equivalent to the Hiroshima nuclear bombing. All within the space of a week.
Then there were attacks on those marching for Palestine in the States. First, an old man and racist proceeded to drive his car through a vigil and march in Minneapolis. Activists responded fast, puncturing a tire, then surrounding the man in his vehicle who feigned confusion to cover for his blatant attempt at mass murder. In Skokie, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago, a man drove by and began to shoot at those gathered, causing chaos.
Los Angeles was especially concerning. Video evidence from that day depicts a brazen attack by men dressed like Proud Boys and other militant fascists, but wearing Israeli flags. They are seen openly hostile towards the Palestinian crowd, then seen attacking members of the crowd with bear spray. Standing next to them to intervene when comrades fought back were the LAPD, who assisted these groups in their violence, and proceeded to arrest members of the Palestinian crowd. It is no surprise to see the cops protect fascists, especially when they are supporting the IDF, which countless American police departments train with, to learn methods of cracking down on civil disobedience.
Closer to our city, the week prior a march went to the capitol building in Eugene, Oregon. There, a man flying a Gadsen flag and a Thin Blue Line flag, drove his vehicle into the middle of a protest. He proceeded to get out, as he wore a Guy Fawkes mask. He shot a handgun at those surrounding the vehicle. The response by leftists was immediate. Two armed activists proceeded to pull out their handguns and held the man at gunpoint. They instructed him to drop the weapon and take off the mask. He released the pistol, which turned out to shoot mace projectiles. Of course when the police intervened, they proceeded to arrest the community defenders.
Portland was the site of a mass shooting at a protest at the beginning of last year at Normandale Park that left 1 dead and 6 injured. Since then, I, like many, have feared a similar incident. What we saw in Eugene reveals that we have since trained to counter any such violence. We protect us.
However, you can imagine the trepidation I feel to march in Portland, especially after the violence that has unfolded here. Especially after an eruption of violence against Palestinian protesters in this country. It is also concerning, considering 2024 and the election cycle arrives, and we are heading into a civil conflict. If the right wing is using bullets now, as they did in 2020, what happens next?
Regardless, we marched, first to City Hall, then around the core of Downtown Portland. Thousands marched, thousands watched. The chants echoed through the streets, along the high rises. Honks were constant, mostly from people in support of peace, in support of Palestine.
A few trucks led the procession. On the back of one sat a group with the best sign, alongside Palestinian flags. “Without that gun, you’re a bitch and a half.”
Leading the march were a group of Palestinians with two major banners. One read, “From the River to the Sea, Palestine Will Be Free. Another demanded “Boycott, Divestments, Sanctions, Until Palestine Is Free!”
Boycott, Divestment & Sanctions Until Palestine Is Free
A group led the marchers in chants, which were unique and plentiful.
“Gaza, Gaza, Don’t You Cry! Palestine Will Never Die!”
“There Is Only One Solution! Intifada, Revolution!”
“Israel, Israel What Do You Say? How Many Kids Did You Kill Today?!”
““Biden, Biden You Can’t Hide! You’re Committing Genocide!”
“From the River to the Sea! Palestine Will Be Free!”
The march continued for an hour in peace. The worst incident one remembers is a woman dressed in a bee costume, while standing outside a bar on Broadway. She booed the crowd and screamed “Go Israel!”. If anything she was drunk on Halloween weekend and wanted to trigger the left. One person screamed “Fuck You!” at her, to which her husband laughed.
Regardless, we made our way back to the World Trade Center, where we continued to scream for Palestine. One Palestinian woman took over and led chants for those who spoke Arabic. There were many who participated, the language is very beautiful to hear in unison. In English, she kept us chanting for a good 15 minutes, building louder, and louder until our voices hurt. And still we continued to demand a free Palestine.
Then the rally came to an end. The organizers told us to continue to speak out and to show up. To use our social media to demand change, to continue to call our Congressional representatives and the White House to demand a ceasefire. And they called us to continue this cause.
The group organizing the event is Free People PDX. Many of their chapters in other cities have declared a rally and march every Saturday until the genocide ends and a ceasefire is declared. One wonders how long we have, how much we can do in the face of a slaughter. But we all must do our part and continue the struggle.
Whether or not we, rationally, expect some sort of attack or violence as we march to demand justice; we must continue to march. We must train ourselves to react accordingly, to be prepared for what is to come. All the while, prepare to defend our democracy, our community, and each other in 2024.
Whatever happens, we must also acknowledge the path our nation is headed towards. If Israel continues its genocide and the whole world watches, other countries will need to intervene. And our nation, ever hungry for a war, awaits the next few weeks with weapons at the ready. If the world war comes, which it seems we are nearly there, we must be prepared to resist our part in a global war; to burn our draft cards, to block the ports, to build a movement.
We have a chance to stop this. We have to stop this. We must stop this.
Mourn the Dead,
Fight Like Hell for the Living.
