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An account of the march from NYC Indymedia:

1500 Protesters March Across the Brooklyn Bridge in Solidarity With the Palestinian and Lebanese People

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

By Ad Hoc Coalition 4 Justice in the Middle East protectpalestine@gmail.com

Media Contacts: Issa Mikel – (917) 446 8032, and Riham Barghouti (917) 499-2750.

July 29, 2006

New York, NY – 1500 members of the New York community, horrified at the senseless killing of Palestinians and Lebanese by the Israeli military, marched across the Brooklyn Bridge into Manhattan today to demand an end to the violence.

The Israeli military has killed nearly 200 Palestinians in a matter of weeks, including dozens of children. In less than two weeks in Lebanon, Israel has killed nearly 500 Lebanese and made one million more refugees in their own country. In both Palestine and Lebanon, Israel has targeted civilian infrastructure, such as power plants, roads, factories, schools, airports, and bridges.

Such attacks, which are forms of collective punishment, violate international law and human rights, as repeatedly noted by Amnesty International, the United Nations, and numerous human rights organizations.

The protesters, a culturally and politically diverse crowd from around the world, put forth their demands for an immediate end to Israeli attacks on Lebanon and Palestine, an end to the occupation of Palestine, a release of all Palestinian and Lebanese political prisoners, and an end to U.S. aid to Israel.

The protesters began with chants at 2:30 p.m. at Cadman Plaza Park, on the Brooklyn side of the bridge, and marched to City Hall in Manhattan for a rally. Among the speakers at the rally, Lebanese/American Halla El-Ahmed read aloud the words from Beirut of a Lebanese woman named Tina Nachach. Ms. Nachach said, “The ball is in your court America, your tax money is being wasted, your tax dollars being used to destroy the Middle East. Those who are silent, the American tax payers who are silent are guilty, guilty of war crimes, guilty of killing people and destroying the infrastructure of a country.”

Author Anthony Arnove noted that people in the anti-war movement had asked in the past why we insisted on discussing Israel and Palestine. Arnove explained that it’s because the issues are connected – Palestine, Lebanon and Iraq are all part of the US project for dominating the Middle East. Professor Norman Finkelstein spoke of the injustices of Israeli policies towards the Palestinians, and of US support for Israel.

Palestinian American poet Remi Kenazi read from one of his poems saying that, “until we realize that Sudanese is Iraqi, Canadian is Mexican, American is Iranian, the sins of empire and agendas driven by rich men, not regular citizens, will continue the vision of global warming,” and global war.

The march was organized by a coalition of community organizations, which announced that they would hold further activities in the coming days. Endorsers of today’s march included: National Council of Arab-Americans – NYC, ANSWER Coalition, International Action Center, Network of Arab-American Professionals of NY-PC, the International Solidarity Movement – NYC, the New York Campaign for Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions, the International Socialist Organization, ADC New York Chapter, Action Wednesdays Against War, Jews Against the Occupation – NYC, WESPAC Foundation, NYC Labor Against the War.

From “Jews Against the Occupation Contingent” for Brooklyn Bridge March:

This Saturday, July 29, 2006 there is a major march against the Israeli invasion of
Lebanon and assault on Gaza in Brooklyn, NY. It will be the largest city-wide
demonstration of opposition to the continuing horrific news. Please
come out to show our outrage and our solidarity.

Jews Against the Occupation NYC will have a contingent in the march
and has endorsed the event. Join us early to make signs, meet, and
talk before the march.

We’ll be gathering starting at 1pm in the plaza behind the Court
building (where Cadman Plaza East and West meet Court St and Montague.
Right near the Boro Hall/ Court St./ Jay St subways.

We will join the march for its 2pm start.

ALL ARE WELCOME to March with us to say NO to occupation and invasion.

We’ll have the banner, sign making materials, and T-shirts. Bring
noise makers, snacks, friends and outrage.

Saturday July 29;
The plaza @ Cadman Plaza and Court St. Brooklyn
1pm

Questions: jatonyc@yahoo.com

The official call for the March follows:

STOP U.S. Sponsored Israeli Terror
March Across Brooklyn Bridge

Stop the Invasion of Lebanon!
End the Occupation of Palestine!
Stop U.S. Aid to Israel!
Free Arab Political Prisoners in Israel!

SATURDAY JULY 29, 2PM
Gather at CADMAN PLAZA PARK, Brooklyn

Sponsored by the Ad-Hoc Coalition for Justice in the Middle East
Endorsers: Act Now to Stop War and End Racism, International
Solidarity Movement- NYC, International Socialist Organization,
National Council of Arab-Americans, Network of Arab-American
Professionals of NY-PC, NY Campaign for Boycott,Divestment, and
Sanctions, Jews Against the Occupation NYC.