Hundreds turn out in Milwaukee for solidarity with Palestine

Milwaukee, WI – On May 12, many hundreds of people gathered at the Milwaukee Lakefront for a rally and protest in solidarity with Palestine. Crowd estimates range up to 700 people. Organized by the Milwaukee chapter of American Muslims for Palestine, the protest was sparked by this month’s attacks on Palestinian families in East Jerusalem. Israeli settlers are attempting to evict and expel hundreds of Palestinians from their neighborhoods of Sheikh Jarrah and Silwan.

Furthermore, when Palestinians gathered in Al-Aqsa mosque on May 7, to both observe the last Friday of Ramadan and to protest the evictions, they were attacked by police with rubber bullets and tear gas. These aggressions are part of a decades-long campaign to ethnically cleanse Palestine and make way for illegal Israeli settlements.

The protesters marched up and down E. Wisconsin Avenue before gathering around the orange sunburst sculpture at the Lakefront. While waving Palestinian flags, they chanted “Netanyahu, you can’t hide, we charge you with genocide! Netanyahu, you will see, Palestine will be free!” Among the protesters were many families from the Muslim community of Milwaukee, including children.

A variety of organizations showed up to strengthen this protest, including Students for Justice in Palestine (both from UW-Milwaukee and Marquette University), the Islamic Society of Milwaukee, the Muslim Student Association at Marquette, the Milwaukee Muslim Women’s Coalition, the Milwaukee Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression, Jewish Voices for Peace, Party for Socialism and Liberation, Wisconsin Bail Out the People Movement, and Freedom Road Socialist Organization.