Los Angeles protest denounces 73 years of Israeli occupation of Palestine

Los Angeles, CA – 20,000 strong, the Palestinian community and supporters throughout Southern California descended upon the West Los Angeles Wilshire Federal Building and marched to the Israeli Consulate. Protesters demanded an end to the occupation of all historical Palestine and the dismantling of apartheid by the Israeli colonial entity responsible for the terror and mass displacement of Palestinians since 1948, and for and end the violence endured by neighboring Arab countries.

For Palestinians, May 15 marks Al Nakba – Arabic for The Catastrophe. During the 1948 war, at least 750,000 Palestinian men, women and children were ruthlessly attacked, massacred and driven from their homes by Zionist terror groups, and have never been allowed to return, in violation of international law. 2021 marks 73 years of U.S.-backed Israeli land theft, occupation, and apartheid.

This year we are not talking about Al-Nakba as an historic event but one that is still ongoing. Within the past month, the Zionist entity has violently attacked Jerusalem, what Palestinians consider their capital, during the holy month of Ramadan, with a surge of violence by the Israeli Occupation during the last few days of Ramadan. Hundreds were left injured and holy sites were desecrated. Deaths were reported throughout the West Bank, while the Israeli Occupation leveraged brutal violence on Palestinians in historical Palestine. Gazan civilians were also bombed, with the death count mounting. This all comes after a year of economic strangulation and mounting harsh living conditions due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Demands at the Nakba 73 March included “Free Palestine,” “Unification of all segments of Palestinians,” and “Stop U.S. armament shipments to Israel.” Chants of “From the river to the sea, Palestine shall be free” and “Long Live the Intifada” – could be heard as marchers undertook the two-mile trek through the streets of West L.A. to voice their grievances at the Zionist consulate.

In attendance were various local groups and organizations. The pro-Palestinian contingent was a diverse crowd of various peoples, many of whom brought their own flags to stand in solidarity with the Palestinian people. Among the contingent of marchers were many Palestinian flags, but also Armenian, Afghan, Egyptian, Syrian, Lebanese, Jordanian, Mexican, Salvadoran, Pan-African, and Croatian flags waving in solidarity with Palestine. A counter-protest of pro-Zionists congregated a block away, but their numbers were substantially lower than that of the pro-Palestinian crowd.

The overall response of the march and rally was relatively positive, with many drivers honking their horns in support and many onlookers standing outside of their homes to cheer on the marchers.

Participating organizations included the US Palestinian Community Network, Palestinian Youth Movement, American Muslims for Palestine, Free Democratic Palestine Movement, and Yalla Indivisible.