It feels good to see hundreds of people gathering outside of the State Department on a Tuesday evening. It feels good to stand against the evils this government is responsible for, including the genocide and mass starvation of the people of Gaza.
On July 22nd, I attended a protest organized by the Palestinian Youth Movement in front of the Department of State in Northwest Washington DC. At its peak, there were about 200-300 people there, packed in a small area between the State Department building and the street. Even though we had been at this same location just two months ago, you could still feel the energy flowing through the crowd. One of the speakers talked about the criminals responsible for the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), a US-Israeli organization created by people formerly in the CIA and US military ostensibly to provide aid to starving Palestinians, but in reality, it barely distributes aid and even worse than that, it is responsible for daily massacres of Gazan aid seekers. After the speech, the protest organizers brought out a large sign with pictures of GHF’s founders on it, and encouraged crowd members to throw shoes at them. There are few things better than seeing fellow protestors dancing to Palestinian tunes on the faces of these genocidal maniacs.
As usual, the police were here to “keep us in check.” Normally, they are too busy on their phones or snacking in a corner to be a serious threat, but this time, they arrested one of my friends for absolutely no reason. He was standing on a barricade, and after an exchange I couldn’t hear, several officers grabbed him, dragged him off and across the street, then forced him on the ground where they handcuffed him and put him in a police vehicle. This was the first time in my life I’ve seen someone get arrested for standing.
Obviously, this pissed the crowd off. We started screaming “let him go!” I am sure he heard us, and I hope he was able to feel our solidarity with him. I wish I was closer; perhaps I could have done more. But alas, that’s how these things go sometimes.
After the rally, myself and some other protestors gathered in front of the closest police station, intending to stay until he got out. Unfortunately, we were told that he was going to be held overnight, and that he was at a different precinct. I hope he is doing ok.
Whenever you go to a protest, make sure there are people there that know you. If there isn’t anyone, introduce yourself. You never know when the pigs will make up some excuse to brutalize and arrest you, so it’s important to always be prepared.
Since October of 2023, we have seen a criminalization of speech that can only be compared to McCarthyism. If you are a student speaking up against this genocide, you not only risk suspension, expulsion, or your degree being revoked, but you also risk jail time. Thousands of students and peaceful protestors have been arrested in the last two years for doing nothing besides protesting the unspeakable crimes of Israel.
But the way I view it — risking these things is the absolute least we can do to be in solidarity with the people of Palestine. As people living in the heart of the empire, it is our responsibility to put everything we have on the line if there is even an indiscernibly tiny chance to show our community, our country, or the world what the Palestinians are suffering through. This is what I signed up for, and I hope you’ve signed up for this as well.
Related Links:
PYM International Day of Action Post
Protest Videos:
Statement by the Party for Socialism and Liberation on the Protest
Peaceful Protestor Getting Arrested
Video by the Palestinian Youth Movement
Links to Organizer Websites – Join Today
Party for Socialism and Liberation
PEOPLE BETWEEN WORLDS 
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