Pro-Palestinian demonstrators march down Fifth Avenue in New York City, December 23, 2023.(Andrew Lichtenstein/Corbis via Getty Images)
Published December 24, 2023
Pro-Palestinian protests erupted in multiple U.S. cities just before Christmas, with demonstrators going so far as to block traffic heading into Chicago’s biggest airport, as some activists suggested the holiday shouldn’t be celebrated on account of Israel’s war in Gaza.
On Saturday, hundreds of demonstrators marched down 5th Avenue in New York City, chanting “No Christmas as Usual” as streets filled with holiday shoppers, according to a video circulated by Freedom News on X. The protesters walked by St. Patrick’s Cathedral and other churches.
Protesters carried giant Palestinian flags and cardboard cutouts of President Biden and Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu with depictions of blood on their hands and dripping down their faces. Banners also demanded the U.S. cut off aid to Israel.
The pro-Palestinian movement contends that Israel’s ground and air counteroffensive against Hamas constitutes “genocide.” Health officials in Gaza claimed Friday that over 20,000 people in the territory have been killed in the conflict, which started after Hamas invaded Israel and perpetrated the most brutal attack against Jews since the Holocaust on October 7. On that day, Hamas murdered 1,200 people and tortured, raped, maimed, and kidnapped many others.
There was also some terrorist-sympathizing sentiment at the New York rally, according to captured footage.
“Zionism is antisemitic,” one attendee at the march said. “Hamas, and long live the resistance.”
Speaking about October 7, the protester said: “One of the greatest days of my life . . . one of the greatest days in the history of decolonization.”
A young female protester wearing a keffiyeh flanking the man said the assault made her feel “proud.” Behind her stood a middle-aged woman carrying a sign that read, “Mamas 4 a Free Palestine.”
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SOURCE: www.nationalreview.com
RELATED: ‘No Christmas as usual’: Pro-Palestinian protestors storm city streets on ‘Super Saturday’
Published December 23, 2023
Pro-Palestinian protestors took to the streets on “Super Saturday” en masse, protesting on the day before Christmas Eve, which is often a time shoppers try to pick up last-minute gifts before the holidays.
The “Shut it Down for Palestine” movement, made up of pro-Palestinian groups, had plans to “organize actions to boycott, disrupt, and rally at commercial centers on Dec. 23,” according to the website of the ANSWER Coalition activist group.
“The genocidal Israeli assault on Gaza is continuing with incredible cruelty,” the activist group’s website read. “This Christmas, occupation forces are sniping Christians sheltering in their besieged churches in Gaza and Christians in Bethlehem have declared that their celebrations are canceled. People everywhere must continue to declare that there can be no Christmas as usual during a genocide!”
Posts on social media appeared to show large pro-Palestinian protests in cities like New York City, Chicago, London, Los Angeles and Toronto. In one clip, protesters in New York City appeared to be chanting, “While you’re shopping, bombs are dropping.”
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SOURCE: www.thehill.com
RELATED: Pro-Palestinian protests bring traffic to halt in Beverly Hills
Published December 23, 2023
A large pro-Palestinian protest shut down traffic in the area of La Cienega and Wilshire Boulevard in Beverly Hills on Saturday. The crowd, marching in solidarity, prompted authorities to close off traffic in all directions, urging commuters to steer clear of the area.
The protest, which began around 3 p.m. in the La Cienega area, underscores the community’s call for a cease-fire in the Middle East, in light of the Israel-Hamas conflict.
Pro-Israel protesters on the opposite side of the street engaged in their own chants and demonstrations.
Despite the emergency, a U.N. Security Council vote on aid deliveries and terms for a cease-fire was delayed again late Thursday, after days of high-level negotiations.
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SOURCE: www.cbsnews.com
