Free Palestine
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Divest from Militarism
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Invest in Life
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Free Palestine • Divest from Militarism • Invest in Life •
QUOTES FROM
PARTICIPANTS
Free Palestine
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Divest from Militarism
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Invest in Life
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Free Palestine • Divest from Militarism • Invest in Life •
Sandra Tamari, Executive Director of Adalah Justice Project:
"Biden is complicit in genocide. Over 45 progressive organizations have come together today to tell this Administration that the people demand a government that funds life. We are speaking up during the President's State of the Union address to compel the U.S.to call for an immediate ceasefire and an end to weapons to Israel."
Saqib Bhatti, Co-Executive Director of the Action Center on Race and the Economy:
“We’re horrified at our morally bankrupt President. Israel is carrying out a cruel and protracted genocide, slaughtering parents desperately trying to find food for their starving children. They are doing that with our money and with weapons from our country. Biden refuses to stop the genocide in Gaza so it’s clear he wants this to happen. We’re here to say, ‘No more!’
Ahmad Abuznaid, Executive Director of U.S. Campaign for Palestinian Rights:
“31,000 Palestinians massacred in the U.S.-perpetrated genocide in Gaza paid for with our tax dollars is Biden’s legacy. Five months of protests demanding a permanent ceasefire and an end to arming Israel, followed by historic uncommitted votes, make it very clear that we won’t stop until we win.”
Cindy Wiesner, Executive Director of Grassroots Global Justice Alliance:
“The Biden administration’s legacy is genocide and in our grief and rage we reject it. Billions of our tax dollars are being spent, money that should go into affordable housing, healthcare, and robust education, instead it’s being used to systematically destroy Gaza and tens of thousands of Palestinian lives including children. The majority of Americans do not stand with this genocide, and we are here to say that Grassroots Global Justice Alliance will not back down until a permanent ceasefire is implemented, military funding to Israel is cut, reparations are made for all people who have been impacted by US militarism, and a deep investment in a feminist economy is achieved.”
Zaid Khatib, member of Palestinian Youth Movement:
“Biden is giving his State of the Union address exactly five months after this latest zionist genocide began in Gaza. He will pander to a US audience that is increasingly seeing through the US government’s lies and rejecting this administration’s direct responsibility for the murder of over 30,000 Palestinians. We are here protesting in DC to uplift our people’s demands for a permanent ceasefire and an end to all US aid to the genocidal state of Israel.”
Beth Miller, Political Director at Jewish Voice for Peace Action:
“For many American Jews, the phrase “never again” was a core part of our upbringing. We were taught about the dangers of dehumanization and looking away — and we have raised our voices to tell President Biden that the lesson of the Holocaust and all other genocides is that all human life is sacred and that we must struggle together to protect it. President Biden has refused to hear us. He has ignored the demands of the countless Americans who have filled the streets every day for five months demanding that he call for an immediate and permanent ceasefire in Gaza. Instead, he has continued to support Israel's genocide, sending the bombs that are massacring Palestinians each day. We’re here today to say enough.”
Ashik Siddique, Co-Chair of Democratic Socialists of America:
“While Israel’s government keeps massacring Palestinian people in Gaza, President Biden’s political and military cover puts even more blood on his hands. Tens of thousands of lives could have been saved many months ago, and a permanent ceasefire is possible now to save many more lives. So much is possible beyond that in a lasting political solution. We will keep organizing on our ballots, on the streets, in our workplaces, in elected office, and all across the country to demonstrate how out of touch this administration is with many millions of Americans who demand a permanent ceasefire— and to organize power to win the world we need against those who aid and abet atrocities. Another world is possible where all people have the right to survive, and thrive, and be treated equally as the full human beings they are.”
Setareh Ghandehari, Advocacy Director at Detention Watch Network:
“Detention Watch Network is in solidarity with the Palestinian people in demanding an immediate and permanent ceasefire. We condemn the Biden administration for simultaneously funding a genocidal war while cosigning a brazen anti-immigrant right-wing agenda. Biden’s attempt to fuse funding for ICE and CBP, violent policing agencies that target migrant communities, with funding for the state of Israel’s genocidal campaign against the people of Gaza is a stark reminder that the fight for freedom and dignity does not take place in a silo, our collective future is at risk. We will not accept the dehumanization of people abroad or at home – full stop.”
Loan Tran, National Director at Rising Majority:
"We represent the majority of the people in the U.S who are demanding an immediate and permanent ceasefire. We are educators, healthcare workers, students, artists, parents, and every day people of conscience across race, class, and identity who know the billions being spent to bomb Palestinian people and their schools, homes, hospitals, and places of worship should be invested into the genuine well-being of our communities here and all around the world. We hold the Biden administration responsible for this genocide and we will not stop until the administration takes action to end it."
Joyce Ajlouny, General Secretary for American Friends Service Committee:
“We are taking this action because stopping a genocide requires radical nonviolent and relentless action. The Biden administration has the power, and the responsibility, to stop the killing. It is a cruel irony to drop food when at the same time the U.S. is funding the dropping of bombs. We need a permanent ceasefire and full humanitarian access. But that is not all we need. As a Palestinian and a Quaker, I know that a just and lasting peace will only come when we address the apartheid state imposed on Palestinians for decades.”
alicia sanchez gill, Executive Director of the Emergent Fund:
“The Emergent Fund is proud to join with organizers on the frontlines to disrupt empire’s ‘business as usual’ in a mass civil disobedience action. We cannot expect grantees to risk it all to fight back fascism and deliver our democracy with what we ourselves are unwilling to do. Now is when funders should be leading with our courage and all of the resources at our disposal to contest for power.”
Murphy, member of Showing Up for Racial Justice:
“I’m here today from Indiana because the ongoing genocide in Gaza, funded by our government, is horrific and unacceptable. We deserve books not bombs. We deserve healthcare not warfare. My brother died of a fentanyl overdose last year. Just like the people of Gaza, he deserved life-giving services. I’m here with SURJ because we need more white people across the country speaking out and taking action for a ceasefire.”
Tefa (Estefanía) Galvis, One Fair Wage:
“In a world crying out for peace and fairness, we’ve got to put the needs of everyday workers and communities of color first, way ahead of endless wars and military spending. Together, we’re pushing for a lasting peace in Gaza, and saying a big ‘no’ to more weapons and funding that just keep the cycle of violence spinning. It’s time to pour our resources into things that actually make life better—like schools, health care, and decent housing. Let’s live up to our true values of equality and respect for everyone.”
Sumaya Awad, Director of Strategy and Communications at Adalah Justice Project and member of the Democratic Socialists of America:
“The people have spoken—the “Uncommitted” campaigns in Michigan and Minnesota, and AFL-CIO’s call for a ceasefire have shown the mass discontent across the U.S. with Biden’s policy of aiding genocide. We cannot lose sight of the goal: a ‘temporary ceasefire’ is nothing, when over 30,000 Palestinians have been killed by Israel and children are starving to death. Crumbs of humanitarian aid are shameful when the U.S. continues to fund bombs that rain down on Palestinians who are waiting for that same aid. We are here to unequivocally call for a permanent ceasefire and an end to US military funding to Israel.”
Brittany DeBarros, member of About Face: Veterans Against the War:
“Thousands of U.S. military members and Veterans across the country are demanding a ceasefire because we know better than most that you can’t bomb your way to peace. The US-fueled genocide underway in Gaza is another link in the chain of unjust wars that corrupt politicians have sent us to kill and die in based on lies. The President claims he’s trying to stop the violence while providing the money, weapons, and diplomatic cover that enables it to continue, against the will of the American people. We demand justice for the Palestinian people, and for our neglected communities who are left to suffer while our taxes are sent to destroy others."
Kidus Girma, Campaign Director at Sunrise Movement:
“President Biden must stop greenlighting murder and stand with the people who put him in office. Financing a genocide is not only amoral but a surefire way of depressing youth turnout in November. We deserve a President who fights for the people of Gaza, not one who bankrolls their death.”
Sasha Wijeyeratne, Executive Director of CAAAV: Organizing Asian Communities:
“Biden has sanctioned billions of dollars in aid to murder and displace Palestinians. Meanwhile, in New York, evictions have tripled over the last year, asylum seekers have been pushed out of shelters, and working class people experience yet another round of austerity cuts to critical social services. We rise up against this nightmare manufactured by the wealthy and powerful, to squeeze life and profit from the poor—permanent ceasefire in Gaza now. Divest from militarism, and invest in life.”
Navina Khanna, Executive Director of HEAL Food Alliance:
“While Biden continues to bankroll Israel’s slaughter and starvation of the Palestinian people using taxpayer dollars, families across the US are striking for better wages, facing food insecurity, and struggling to afford basic necessities. Our members—who represent over 2 million farmers, fishers, ranchers, food workers, and their advocates demand an end to this military aid, and that this money instead be invested in our communities. This money could easily ensure farmers are resourced, food and farmworkers earn living wages, and build resilient food and farm systems in the face of climate change.”
Linda Sarsour, Palestinian American organizer, Executive Director of MPower Change:
“The state of the union is that our president is aiding and abetting a genocide and the movement will not stand for it. We will continue to demand a real immediate ceasefire and we won’t stop there. We need an end to the brutal Israeli occupation of the Palestinian people and to break the siege on Gaza. We know the president has power and he can start by ending military aid to Israel.”
Dr. Maha Hilal, Executive Director of Muslim Counterpublics Lab:
“There's nothing worse than knowing that President Biden will deliver the State of the Union address that will once again justify Israel's U.S.-backed genocide of Palestinians rhetorically, politically, and financially. However, this will only strengthen our resolve to challenge this war criminal and his administration every step of the way until there is a permanent ceasefire that is actually rooted in justice and accountability for Palestinians—both of which are long past due. At MCL, we repeat emphatically that from the river to the sea, Palestine will be free!”
Sharmin Hossain, Organizing Director at 18 Million Rising:
"As Asian Americans, we come from homelands that have been colonized and brutalized by war, and we have been taking the streets for over 200 days as Israel continues its siege on Gaza, murdering over 30,000 Palestinians and displacing millions. The US provides financial and military support to the Israeli occupation massacres against the Palestinian civilians and the brutal aggression on the Gaza Strip, and our President is committing a genocide. We demand Pres. Biden and Congress call for a permanent ceasefire, stop funding and arming Israel, and release humanitarian aid into Gaza immediately. We must bring an end to U.S. imperialism and break the power of political and corporate elites who are funding endless wars and militarism. Biden - No U.S military aid or support to fund Israel’s genocide on the Palestinian People!"
Megan Romer, Co-Chair of Democratic Socialists of America:
“What can we possibly tell Joe Biden that people across the country haven’t already told him in the streets and at the ballot box? People from all walks of life are becoming newly radicalized by the horrific daily updates of the genocide and occupation of Palestine and the Palestinian people. We’re working to organize those people to fight for a better world and to demand a real alternative: an end to occupation and militarization everywhere, from Gaza to the Congo to the US-Mexico border and beyond. We'll be fighting against this system and anyone who upholds it today, next week, and as long as it takes until we get a Free Palestine."
Cathi Choi, Co-Coordinator at Korea Peace Now! Grassroots Network:
“As advocates for peace in Korea, we stand with all people of conscience in demanding that the US stop sending military aid to Israel, call for a permanent ceasefire, divest from endless war-making, and invest instead in peace for the sake of all people and our planet.”
Valentina Dallona, Political Director at Justice is Global:
"The genocide in Gaza has laid bare how our fight for justice in the US is intimately intertwined with the fate of oppressed people everywhere. As long as the state of Israel is allowed to cast the ethnic cleansing of an entire population as its own ‘security,’ lasting peace will remain unattainable for both Palestinians and Jews. Similarly, as long as the US continues to finance this genocide and prioritize militarism over real security measures including education, housing, and a just transition, justice and safety for all will remain elusive. An injury to Palestine is an injury to all."
Evan Neuhauesen, Democratic Socialists of America - NYC:
"Biden is inside the Capitol right now, ready to claim that the state of the union is strong. But we know that the real state of the union is genocide, war, unjust border policies and continued spending on militarism. Biden has sent billions in US taxpayer dollars to support the genocide of over 30,000 Palestinians, including 12,500 children. We’re out here representing the majority of Americans who want a permanent ceasefire in Gaza, the majority who oppose sending more military funding to Israel, the majority who want taxpayer dollars invested in life, not war and genocide.”
Jay Saper, Jewish Voice for Peace:
“As Jews, we understand all too well the imperative to do everything possible to try to stop a genocide. Amidst heartbreak, we are inspired by courageous Palestinian leaders taking bold action and honored to join alongside in calling on the President to support a permanent ceasefire and end all military funding to Israel.”
Eren Can Ileri: