New Orleans for Palestine tells Rep. Carter to ‘block the bombs’

New Orleans, LA – On Thursday, August 7, the New Orleans for Palestine Coalition held a noise demonstration outside of Congressman Troy Carter’s office to demand he take action to stop the U.S./Israeli genocide in Gaza.

Before the rally, a smaller group of people tried to enter Carter’s office building and deliver a letter with demands to the congressman. When activists arrived, they found that the Louisiana State Police (LSP) erected an eight-foot gate around the building. More than a dozen LSP officers were on the premises.

Carson Cruse, speaking for Students for a Democratic Society, said “I was able to enter the office with no questions asked. But my Palestinian comrades, my Black comrades, were stopped immediately by these racist pigs.”

Directly after the confrontation with LSP, members of Palestinian Youth Movement New Orleans (PYM) spoke on the phone with a member of Carter’s team. Majdi Jaber of PYM asked repeatedly to have a meeting with Rep. Carter after he was denied for weeks. Jaber told Carter’s staffer, “We got pushed by State Police today for trying to stand up for our people–in front of someone who is supposed to be our most progressive representative. This system is broken.”

Soon after the LSP denied activists entry to the office, the spirited noise demonstration began. Around 40 people banged pots and pans, and shouted chants such as “LSP, KKK, IOF, they’re all the same” and “Troy Carter, you can’t hide. You’re supporting genocide!” People held signs calling for the end of U.S. aid to Israel and graphic pictures from on the ground in Gaza.

When Louisiana State Police laughed coldly at photos of starving children, the crowd called out officers by name with their own chants. Activists exposed Officer Troy Pichon for charges of excessive force while employed in the LSP. Some officers were exposed for being fired from the New Orleans Police Department before joining LSP.

For months, activists in New Orleans have tried to meet with Representative Troy Carter to discuss the “Block the Bombs Act” which would limit the transfer of U.S. weapons to Israel.

The issue hits home, as New Orleanians have already been killed in Palestine. Tawfic Abdel Jabbar, a 17-year-old Palestinian from New Orleans, was murdered by the IDF in January 2024. Three weeks ago, Sayfollah “Saif” Musallet, a 20-year-old Palestinian American from Florida with family in New Orleans, was murdered by Israeli settlers while visiting relatives in the occupied West Bank.

Despite the direct impact on community members, Rep. Carter has still not taken action. Troy Carter’s top contributor in 2023-24 was AIPAC, the pro-Israel lobbying group. Instead of meeting with constituents, Carter has dodged them, sending his employees in his place to stall.

As the rally wrapped up, Majdi Jaber yelled “Remember who your enemies are when we take the streets on Saturday!” The New Orleans Palestine Solidarity Coalition will be taking part in the global call to action on Saturday, August 9 in solidarity with those facing famine in Gaza.

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