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Pro-Palestine protesters rallied Friday in opposition to Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip, chanting “Palestine will live on forever.”
According to the Associated Press, Israel fired rockets at Gaza on Nov. 14, killing a Hamas leader as well as at least 11 civilians, several of whom were children. Gaza responded by firing more than 100 rockets back at Israel, two of which were aimed at Tel Aviv but were intercepted. Around 10 Israelis were injured, but there were no casualties.
About 100 people gathered in front of the UNM Bookstore in opposition to Israel’s military agenda and the United States’ support of Israel. Protesters carried signs admonishing recent attacks on Palestinians.
“Gaza, Gaza don’t you cry, Palestine will never die,” they chanted.
The event received mixed attention from passers-by. Cars honked, flashing peace signs in support. A bicyclist lectured protesters about the “real history” of the Israel-Palestine conflict.
At one point a driver threw a water bottle at protesters.
The protest was organized by the Act Now to Stop War and End Racism (ANSWER) coalition.
ANSWER coalition coordinator Joel Gallegos said he was pleased with the turnout, as the protest was planned just two days in advance.
“We’ve been able to mobilize people through emailing, through phone calls, through fliering and also through contacting people who are already involved with the movement,” he said. “It’s actually pretty amazing the amount of people that have come out.”
Gallegos said staging the protest at UNM not only offered a centralized location, but also provided an opportunity for students and campus groups to get more involved. He said people should stand against Israel and that attacks on Palestinians are completely unjustified.
“The attacks that have been happening against Gaza are an outrage,” he said. “Once again, it’s the Israeli military flaunting their superior military against a people that have absolutely no military power.”
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Several members of the on-campus group Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) and other UNM students participated in the protest.
UNM student Ruquaya Quraishi said she plans to join SJP in the spring and continue to be active in the movement. She said that while she’s of Lebanese and Indian descent, she finds the attacks on Gaza appalling and stands in solidarity with the Palestinian people.
“In these times we need to be united as one family,” she said. “I’m shocked by the fact that they (Israel) never stop, that there’s no limit. One little bomb can destroy thousands of lives without them even feeling anything. They don’t have hearts to even know what they’re doing.”
UNM student Sarah Abonyi held an Israeli flag, flashing peace signs at passing cars at the protest. She said that although protesters antagonized her, she felt it was important to stand in defense of Israel.
“I think people need to stand behind Israel, especially because of all of the negative media attention it’s getting,” she said. “I think people need to know that Israel supports peace.”
Abonyi, who is a part of the Israel Alliance, a pro-Israel group on campus, said she planned to attend to protest even though she knew she would be outnumbered. She said she received a lot of criticism and personal attacks for attending the event.
“People have told me that I’m not a real Jew, that I’m evil, that I should go to hell because of what I’m doing,” she said. “It’s really very intimidating. This group is really large and the Israel Alliance and people who support Israel are much smaller on campus. It’s really scary for the Jews who support Israel to come out here.”
