San Jose Against War holds rally to commemorate one year of Palestinian resistance

San Jose, CA – On October 6 – a day before the anniversary of Operation Al-Aqsa Flood – 250 people gathered in front of San Jose City Hall to show their solidarity with the resistance in Palestine and their commitment to the movement for a free Palestine.

Signs bearing slogans such as “San Jose divest from genocide,” “Divest from Alphabet and Microsoft,” “Silicon Valley has blood on their hands,” “End U.S. aid to Israel,” and “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free” were held by participants. Despite the record-breaking heat, the community came together with energy and determination.

A member of San Jose Against War, Jay Marcos, spoke to the crowd about the people’s collective role in resisting the genocide, stating, “What is our duty in the belly of the beast? To shut it down! We as a united people can choose what game to play!”

Wendy Greenfield of Jewish Voice for Peace reiterated the U.S. government’s role in powering the genocide, “As long as the federal government continues to [fund Israel], there will be no justice. We say no more weapons to Israel!”

An organizer with San Jose Against War, Philip Nguyen, pointed out the relation between victims of recent Hurricane Helene and the people of Gaza saying, “The parallels are one-to-one. While people are decimated by a hurricane with no assistance from the government,” with FEMA claiming a $9 billion shortfall for recovery efforts, “people’s lives in the Middle East are decimated by courtesy of U.S.-funded bombs and planes!” Earlier in the week, Israel announced that it had secured $8.7 billion in U.S. military aid.

Drusie Kazanova, a member of Freedom Road Socialist Organization, highlighted the inherent right of Palestinians to their land and saying, “The struggle of the Palestinian people is fundamentally one of national liberation against U.S. imperialism. Palestine is entitled by its very existence to freedom and self-determination. Palestinians have the right to resist Zionism by any means necessary!”

Andy Schaefer, another organizer with San Jose Against War, brought attention to the organization’s divestment campaign, “According to the city of San Jose’s most recent quarterly investment report, tens of millions of dollars of our city’s funds are currently invested in corporations with direct ties to Israel,” adding, “As residents of the diverse and multicultural city of San Jose, we refuse to be complicit in genocide. San Jose city council, divest from Israel’s genocide against Palestine!”

The rally and march were led by San Jose Against War with support from other local organizations including Freedom Road Socialist Organization, San Jose State University Students for a Democratic Society, South Bay Jewish Voice for Peace, and Silicon Valley Democratic Socialists of America.

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