Appleton, WI: Activists protest genocide and Wisconsin Democratic Party

Appleton, WI – On June 23, a local office for the Democratic Party of Wisconsin was the focus of a demonstration against the ongoing genocide in Palestine. Activists covered the county Democrats’ office with the names of hundreds of Palestinian martyrs.

While these names posted on the office are only a small fraction of the tens of thousands killed, entire families were among the martyrs highlighted. The most recent death toll from the UN Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs was over 37,000 deaths and over 10,000 missing. Given the dire conditions on the ground, however, many estimate the total number of casualties is significantly higher.

Amongst the names scattered across the office windows, additional statements were posted, including “Gaza must have food and water, Democrats must stop the slaughter,” and “Genocide Joe is a war criminal.” Gazans are facing critical levels of food insecurity, with many facing imminent risk of starvation. With such little aid getting into Gaza, Palestinians are living on only 200 calories per day.

The demonstration was organized by Freedom Road Socialist Organization (FRSO), Hate Free Outagamie (HFO) and other community members.

Another message highlighted “No Pride in Genocide” calling out pink-washing, a strategy used to justify the ongoing genocide in Palestine citing a lack of queer rights. This message was intentionally placed over the pride flag hanging in the office and was especially relevant, as the community’s Pride celebration was held this weekend.

The community’s Pride organizers were directly called out by advocates just days before the event after they accepted a donation from Oshkosh Corporation. Oshkosh Corporation is the parent company of Oshkosh Defense, who is directly producing military vehicles for Israel to use in the ongoing genocide in Gaza. After receiving significant backlash, Pride organizers agreed to return the $500 donation to Oshkosh Corporation. In response, FRSO, HFO and other area anti-war activists raised over $1000 to replace the donation, showing the incredible power of community organizing.

FRSO and HFO are both members of the Wisconsin Coalition for Justice in Palestine as well as the Coalition to March on the RNC. The Wisconsin Coalition for Justice in Palestine has been active in protesting the Wisconsin Democrats state convention, supporting the university encampments, and holding various marches such as Rafah is a Red Line and commemorating Nakba Day.

#AppletonWI #FRSO #HFO #WisconsinCoalitionforJusticeinPalestine #DemocraticParty