Dallas: Eyes on Rafah march

Dallas, TX – On Tuesday, May 28 hundreds of community members marched in downtown Dallas, mere hours after the metroplex had faced floods, hail and multiple tornadoes that caused widespread power outages. Despite these obstacles, the people of Dallas-Fort Worth came out to demand the U.S.-backed Israeli regime leave Rafah and the rest of Gaza.

This protest came in the wake of news of U.S.-supplied Israeli bombings of the Rafah and Al-Mawasi refugee encampments. These were supposedly safe areas, but families were burned alive in their tents.

Community members gathered for the rally at Civic Garden Park in downtown Dallas, which began with speeches from organizers with the Palestinian Youth Movement Dallas, the DFW Anti-War Committee, and the Party for Socialism and Liberation.

Jo Hargis, an organizer with DAWC, said, “It is no mistake that this flow of bombs continues uninterrupted from the United States. We know the Zionist entity could not continue this genocide without the constant flow of BLU-109 bombs, of MK-80 missiles, of F-35 fighter jets, and all the other tools of war that are produced right here.” They also highlighted the growing Weapon Manufacturers Campaign, which targets major warmongering corporations covering the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex.

Ari Miller, who has organized against the General Dynamics factory in their neighborhood that is producing bombs for Israel, said, “I’ve found over these several long months that it’s easy to lose hope, and get burnt out. I’ve found it’s so important to turn to the collective strength of your community when we get in those darker states of mind. When we say we take care of each other, it’s not just physical it’s also emotional, and I think some people don’t realize how important that emotional aspect is when it comes to keeping involved and organized. Right now I’d tell people to find your local organizations and get involved in pro-Palestine organizing if they haven’t already. Uplift your community, remember every action big or small matters, and don’t ever stop talking about Palestine.”

During the march, the attendees took the opportunity to call out the complicity of the Dallas Police Department in suppressing pro-Palestinian voices, with chants such as “DPD, KKK, IDF they’re all the same.” The Dallas Police Department has arrested of dozens of protesters throughout this eight month ongoing genocide, for people simply for calling out Biden and General Dynamics for their participation in the death of tens of thousands of Palestinians. The community also displayed their continued optimism, chanting, “I believe that we will win, within our lifetime” and “From the river to the sea, Palestine is almost free.”

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