Milwaukee protests Trump statements on Gaza, “Palestine belongs to Palestinians!”

Milwaukee, WI – On Monday, February 10, The Milwaukee Anti-war Committee (MAC) held a rally at the “The Calling,” commonly referred to as the Sunburst Sculpture, in downtown Milwaukee. The rally was organized to protest Trump’s recent comments on Gaza, which threatened to “empty Gaza of Palestinians” and turn Gaza into “the Riviera of the Middle East.”

Trump’s comments have received major pushback internationally. On a frigid evening in Milwaukee, over 60 people stood defiantly, waving Palestine flags, chanting and hearing moving speeches re-affirming that Palestine belongs to no one but Palestinians.

The emcee for the event, MAC organizer Eva Dickenson, opened up the rally with some news that dropped mere hours before the protest. Due to Israel’s ongoing violations of the ceasefire agreement, the Palestinian resistance said they will delay the next round of prisoner releases scheduled for Saturday, if Israel continues to refuse to abide by the ceasefire. Though each speaker invited up had a different perspective to share, they were all united in this spirit of continued resistance and struggle inspired by the Palestinian people.

Said Kayla Kuo, also with MAC, “While Trump’s comments have evoked outrage in the U.S., we also want to draw attention to the West Bank. Israel has been increasingly escalating their attacks, in frequency and in intensity, in the occupied West Bank since the ceasefire in Gaza last month.” Kuo reminded the crowd that though Trump’s comments gained the most traction in U.S. news, we must also educate ourselves and each other on the U.S.-funded Israeli aggression in the West Bank.

Rachel Buff of the Wisconsin Coalition for Justice in Palestine expanded on the illegal nature of Trump’s comments, saying that Trump’s recently proposed plan for Gaza is “in violation of about every single international human rights law that there is,” as the crowd booed Trump’s ideas. Buff continued, “Let’s talk about Article 147 of the Geneva Convention, which prevents forced displacement and dispossession. Let’s talk about the UN General Assembly’s Resolution 194 in 1948, saying that Palestinians have the legal right to return.”

As the crowd listened to speeches and chanted in between, many cars passing by honked to show their support. Ihsan Atta, representing US Palestinian Community Network (USPCN), remarked that it is due to the consistent efforts of people such as those in attendance that night, that awareness about Palestine has grown so significantly in Milwaukee over the last year and a half.

Catie Petralia of Freedom Road Socialist Organization elaborated further, stating, “Their resistance to colonialism is a sign that the tides are changing, the American people are waking up, and we will not stand for this any longer. The people stand united against capitalism and oppression!”

Upon assuming office, Trump began attacking oppressed people across the board, domestically and internationally. In a statement read out by the emcee, the Milwaukee Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression made connections between Palestine and the domestic threats we face at home.

Othman Atta from the Islamic Society of Milwaukee told the crowd, “Palestinians are not going to give up Gaza, Palestinians are not going to leave Gaza. Gaza belongs to Palestinians, Palestine belongs to Palestinians, the West Bank belongs to Palestinians, and Palestinians will never kneel to anyone!”

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