Women Against Military Madness vigil for Palestine says: “No to normalizing genocide”

St. Paul, MN – On November 29, around 50 Women Against Military Madness (WAMM) Palestine solidarity activists held their weekly bannering at the busy intersection of Snelling and Summit Avenues in Saint Paul.

The day marked the start of the holiday shopping season People driving or walking by the rally saw Palestinian flags waving in the wind and activists holding signs, as a reminder that there is still a genocide taking place in Palestine.

“While you are shopping, bombs are still dropping,” the crowd chanted. Many can hear the loud honks from cars in support of the Palestinian people and the rally. A man in a car that was stopped at the light shouted, “Thank you!” As a person from the rally said, “We are here every Friday.” The man responded, “I know and thank you!”

Cedar Larson, member of WAMM’s Palestine Solidarity Committee, addressed the crowd, “As we stand in the belly of the beast, we can identify these related struggles. But today specifically of the Palestinians and the indigenous Americans. What a tragically familiar tale; an indigenous population is living comfortably and cohabitating for centuries until a colonizing force arrives. The colonizer claims they cannot be safe unless the indigenous peoples are eradicated from their homeland. The colonizer proceeds to ethnically cleanse the original inhabitants of the land by any means necessary. And so, in order to survive, indigenous resistance must take place.” Larson continued, “This weekly rally is necessary! We will be here every week until Palestine is free!”

Throughout the event people were holding signs, “Stop the genocide,” “Massacre after massacre equals genocide,” and “End U.S. aid to Israel”. They continued chanting, “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free! From the sea to the river, Palestine will live forever.”

Robyn Harbison, director of WAMM, told the attendants, “It is an international day of solidarity with the Palestinian people and it has been over 410 days of the Gaza genocide. We have seen the continuation of the Gaza genocide, and we have seen and experienced the growing repression of pro-Palestine activists. However, we see that the world refuses to take the violence lying down and neither will we! We will always stand with Palestine! Long live Palestine!”

WAMM’s Middle East Committee and Palestine Solidarity Committee pledged to come to the corner “every Friday not only because it’s right thing to do but because their fight is our fight.”

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