American protestors chant 'Death to Israel' at US Day of Rage
Pro-Palestinian 'Day of Rage' events were held in New York, Miami, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Toronto in early July.
By DONNA RACHEL EDMUNDSA video by StandWithUs of Palestinian terror attacks
Calls have been made to end Israel's existence at a series of rallies held across America and Canada.The Pro-Palestinian group Al-Awda held a 'Day of Rage' in Brooklyn, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Miami and Toronto between July 1 and 4, at which numerous calls were made for a new intifada or uprising against the State of Israel. Speakers at the events linked the Palestinian cause to others globally, including Black Lives Matter.At the Brooklyn event, a speaker named Jamie, who is a pro-North Korean activist, told the crowd: "The DPRK [Democratic People's Republic of Korea] also refuses to recognize Israel and calls it an imperialist satellite of the United States... I believe that within our lifetime, Palestine will be yours again and Korea will be one again! The United States of America and all of its puppet governments will be no more!"Footage of the Brooklyn rally was uploaded to the Al-Awda Facebook page, while a shorter version of excerpts was formatted by The Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI), which also translated the Arabic content.Al-Awda, which states on its website that it supports the rights of Palestinians to return to and live "anywhere in Palestine which encompasses present-day “Israel,” the West Bank and Gaza Strip," was joined in organizing the event by other pro-Palestinian groups including the Palestinian Youth Movement, American Muslims for Palestine, and Jews for Palestinian Right of Return, among others.Speakers explicitly called for an end to Israel. Nerdeen Kiswani of Within Our Lifetime told the crowd: "We don't want a fake Palestinian state that they give us while Israel still exists. The land that Israel exists on is still stolen. The 1948 lands are still stolen. Jaffa, Haifa and Tel Aviv - originally named Tel Rabi'a - was stolen. We don't want to just go back to our homes in Gaza and the West Bank, we want all of it!"Others linked the Palestinian cause to events in America. A speaker called Rob, taking the platform on behalf of the Party for Socialism and Liberation, led the crowd in a chant of "Death to Israel! Death to America!" Another activist cried: "You can't defund the police, you have got to abolish the police! You have got to abolish the Zionistic State of Israel! You have got to abolish the United States Government!"Amin Hosain of Decolonize This Place went even further in linking Palestinian and American politics, telling the crowd: "The [American] police that are around us are not our friends. You should not speak to them. They are our enemy. They are an impediment to the liberation of Palestine... When I saw that precinct burn, I thought I was closer to Palestine. When I see an NYPD cop car burn - I say we are waking up a revolutionary country... They know that we will f**king free Palestine!"
Pro-Israel group StandWithUs, in cooperation with the Iranian American Jewish Federation (IAJF), countered the rallies, using truck ads to display pro-peace messages such as "Israelis want peace," "Israel needs a partner for peace," and "Palestinian Leaders: Stop Teaching Hate & Rewarding Violence."In addition, a video displaying various forms of terrorism carried out by Palestinians against Israelis played continuously on one side of the trucks. Clips included rockets being fired, stabbing attacks and arson, with footage of swastikas, of a young girl being taught to wield a knife, and of a wedding being swiftly evacuated."Al-Awda and other hate groups that organized these rallies are dedicated to ending Israel's existence and promoting antisemitic propaganda," said Roz Rothstein, CEO of StandWithUs. "While there is nothing wrong with having an open and vigorous debate about Israeli policies, that is not what these events are really about. We are answering hate with a message highlighting the urgent need for Palestinian leaders to choose peace negotiations over hatred and violence."Susan Azizzadeh, president of the IAJF, added: "StandWithUs and the Iranian American Jewish Federation are sending a message that we will not be silent when such groups try to spread hate in our communities."