Minnesota stands with Lebanon – Fight back! News

Minneapolis, MN – On September 26, 200 protesters demonstrated to demand an end to Israeli attacks on Lebanon and Gaza. The protest began with high energy as Students for Justice in Palestine from the University Minnesota Student Union marched across the Mississippi River to the West Bank campus to join the community solidarity effort. Protesters filled the square in front of Mayday Books, chanting and waving Palestinian and Lebanese flags. The emergency measure was organized by the Minnesota Anti-War Committee as part of a nationwide wave of protests in solidarity with Lebanon.

On September 17 and 18, Israel detonated thousands of communications devices in Lebanon. This act indiscriminately killed and injured civilians, including many children. It violated all conventions of war and was unprecedented in cruelty. This week, Israeli airstrikes have killed over 600 people, including at least 50 children, injured 1,800 and displaced hundreds of thousands.

Anna Madison, a member of the newly formed Families Against Military Madness, was the first speaker and addressed the recent attacks: “There are nine-year-old Fatima and eleven-year-old Bilal, who were murdered by Israel with exploding pagers. There are the 50 children murdered earlier this week on Lebanon's deadliest day in decades. The reality is that I could spend hours listing the dates and times Israel murders children with impunity. We can talk about 1978, 1982, 1993, 2006, 2024. I can't keep track anymore because every time I look at my phone I see that more children have been murdered. This cannot be normalized. And look, I say this knowing that this country doesn’t care about terrorizing and murdering children.”

Israel's violence in Lebanon has a long history. In 1982, Israel invaded Lebanon, triggering a large-scale conflict that left tens of thousands of people dead. After occupying almost 10% of Lebanese territory, Israel withdrew from its “safe zone” in 2000 after years of Lebanese resistance. Israel attempted another invasion of Lebanon in 2006 but quickly withdrew, killing hundreds in the process.

Many speakers showed their solidarity with Palestine and Lebanon as well as their support for the resistance against Israel. Lina Jebara, a Lebanese-American member of the MN Anti-War Committee, told the crowd: “The fight against US imperialism and the Zionist occupation in the Middle East has never been a fight of a single nation.”

Jebara continued: “Ironically and inevitably, Israel's attempts to incite the Lebanese people against the resistance through blatant acts of terror have completely failed.” The resistance in the face of brutal occupation is among the resistance and among the civilians of these countries who continue to resist and in united in their cause, continue to bubble, more than ever before.”

Mick Kelly, political secretary of the Freedom Road Socialist Organization, traveled to Lebanon and addressed the crowd: “We know for a fact that the Zionists cannot win. And we also know for sure that the Lebanese resistance is powerful, strong and determined. The liberation of Palestine and the defense of Lebanon are at the top of Hezbollah’s agenda.”

Kelly continued: “In Washington DC there is a group of politicians in the White House and the Pentagon who are encouraging genocide. We can and will never accept that! There is no way we will rest while it takes place.”

Other speakers included Jae Yates of the Twin Cities Coalition for Justice and Mnar Adly, the Palestinian-American editor of Mint Press News.

The closing speech was given by Shahd Abouhekel, an organizer with Students for Justice in Palestine at the University of Minnesota, who told the crowd that students would continue to fight for Palestine and Lebanon regardless of oppression from the U of MN government.

Wyatt Miller of the Anti-War Committee concluded the protest by calling on everyone to come together on October 6 to attend the Free Palestine Coalition march starting at 1:30 p.m. at Hennepin Avenue and Washington Avenue in to usher in a year of resistance to genocide in downtown Minneapolis.

#MinneapolisMN #Lebanon #Students for Justice in Palestine #Families against military madness #Anti-War Committee