Weekly The Generation, Year 1, Issue 17
December 26, 2023
Thousands of pro-Palestinian protesters waved the pan-Arab-colors flag and wore the symbolic Palestinian keffiyeh in a series of coordinated “No Xmas as Usual in a Genocide” rallies and marches across the US on Saturday.
Organizers with Shut It Down for Palestine said the organization had focused its protests on the second-most popular shopping day of the year – the day before Christmas Eve – as part of ongoing civic and commercial disruptions. Organizers said they planned to “organize actions to boycott, disrupt and rally at commercial centers”.
Coordinators with Shut It Down for Palestine decried Israel’s assault on Gaza as one of “incredible cruelty”.
“This Christmas, occupation forces are sniping Christians sheltering in their besieged churches in Gaza and Christians in Bethlehem have declared that their celebrations are canceled,” the group posted. “People everywhere must continue to declare that there can be no Christmas as usual during a genocide!”
Posts on social media channels showed protests in New York City, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Toronto and in Chicago, where a convoy of cars temporarily blocked a highway and entrance to Chicago O’Hare airport.
In New York, protests organized by pro-Palestinian groups the People’s Forum and Palestinian Youth Movement held a rally at Fifth Avenue and 59th Street – the apex of Manhattan’s luxury shopping district – where protesters chanted: “While you’re shopping, bombs are dropping.”
A New York Times/Siena College poll last week found a generational and political split over US support of Israel that could be threatening Biden’s already record-low polling numbers ahead of a presidential election next year.
Asked if they approved of the president’s handling of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, 33% approved and 57% disapproved, with 10% refusing the question or undecided. Asked whether Biden or Donald Trump would do a better job with the conflict 38% said Biden and 46% favored Trump.
But nearly three-quarters of voters aged 18 to 29 who typically skew Democrat said they disapproved of Biden’s handling of the conflict. The New York Times poll found that among Democrats, support for Israel or Palestine is essentially split, 31% saying they sympathized more with Israel, and 34% with Palestinians. A total of 16% said they were sympathetic to both.
Source: The Guardian
