Three Days of Action
Sunday, January 04, 2009 San Francisco
Three days of action took place in San
Francisco this week, in response to Israel's
bombing of the Gaza
strip. On Sunday December 28th, there was an emergency protest at Powell
and Market that lasted for a couple hours. About 200 people came with
noisemakers, banners, signs and Palestinian flags. Palestinian families
joined the protest, and speakers were mostly young Palestinians speaking about
the events in Gaza-two
women performed spoken-word poetry. The organizations that gathered that
day included AROC, HOMEYS, IJAN, and Palestinian student groups, who also
promoted the following day's rally. Sara Kershnar from IJAN spoke out
against the Zionist logic behind the bombing, saying, "they took the
Jewish holiday Hanukah, a holiday of resistance, and turned it into a massacre
of civillians."
On Monday evening, December 29th, a candlelight vigil took place at Market and Montgomery Streets in downtown San Francisco, outside Senator Diane Feinstein's office. The vigil turned into spontaneous direct actions as hundreds of protesters blocked the streets and shut down rush hour traffic through downtown San Francisco, blocking the intersection for about two hours. Protesters linked arms in the streets, chanting, "Free, Free, Palestine! Stop Bombing Gaza!" IJAN had a collective presence at the action: we participated in civil disobedience, shutting down the street, and supported the young Palestinian protesters who took the lead in actions. Finally, the crowd formed a spontaneous march through downtown, passing through Union Square's busy streets of holiday shoppers, where there were more speak-outs. The night culminated in a die-in on Market Street. The event was co-sponsored by Direct Action to Stop the War; the Middle East Children's Alliance; Queers Undermining Israeli Terrorism; SF Women in Black; Break the Silence Mural Project; Global Exchange; International Jewish Anti-Zionist Network; San Francisco Bay View National Black Newspaper; Beacon Presbyterian Fellowship; Jewish Voice for Peace - Bay Area; and the American Friends Service Committee SF Office.
On Tuesday, December 30th, protesters gathered in front of the Israeli consulate, where police tried to contain the crowd on the sidewalk next to the building, while directing Zionist demonstrators to the opposite side of the street. However, the pro-Israeli group of about 50 was quickly overwhelmed by hundreds of boisterous pro-Palestinian demonstrators, who spilled out onto every sidewalk, finally pushing across police lines and entering into the streets. The group chanted and danced in the street for about an hour, blocking the intersection of Montgomery and Sansome, and then mobilized for a march through downtown on Market Street, through Civic Center and into the Tenderloin. The march was several blocks long, with perhaps 2000 people participating. The demonstration was part of a national Day of Action called by the ANSWER Coalition, Muslim American Society Freedom, Free Palestine Alliance, National Council of Arab Americans, and Al-Awda, International Palestine Right to Return Coalition.
On Monday evening, December 29th, a candlelight vigil took place at Market and Montgomery Streets in downtown San Francisco, outside Senator Diane Feinstein's office. The vigil turned into spontaneous direct actions as hundreds of protesters blocked the streets and shut down rush hour traffic through downtown San Francisco, blocking the intersection for about two hours. Protesters linked arms in the streets, chanting, "Free, Free, Palestine! Stop Bombing Gaza!" IJAN had a collective presence at the action: we participated in civil disobedience, shutting down the street, and supported the young Palestinian protesters who took the lead in actions. Finally, the crowd formed a spontaneous march through downtown, passing through Union Square's busy streets of holiday shoppers, where there were more speak-outs. The night culminated in a die-in on Market Street. The event was co-sponsored by Direct Action to Stop the War; the Middle East Children's Alliance; Queers Undermining Israeli Terrorism; SF Women in Black; Break the Silence Mural Project; Global Exchange; International Jewish Anti-Zionist Network; San Francisco Bay View National Black Newspaper; Beacon Presbyterian Fellowship; Jewish Voice for Peace - Bay Area; and the American Friends Service Committee SF Office.
On Tuesday, December 30th, protesters gathered in front of the Israeli consulate, where police tried to contain the crowd on the sidewalk next to the building, while directing Zionist demonstrators to the opposite side of the street. However, the pro-Israeli group of about 50 was quickly overwhelmed by hundreds of boisterous pro-Palestinian demonstrators, who spilled out onto every sidewalk, finally pushing across police lines and entering into the streets. The group chanted and danced in the street for about an hour, blocking the intersection of Montgomery and Sansome, and then mobilized for a march through downtown on Market Street, through Civic Center and into the Tenderloin. The march was several blocks long, with perhaps 2000 people participating. The demonstration was part of a national Day of Action called by the ANSWER Coalition, Muslim American Society Freedom, Free Palestine Alliance, National Council of Arab Americans, and Al-Awda, International Palestine Right to Return Coalition.