November 4, 2023, Washington DC – Over 300,000 people gathered today at Freedom Plaza in Washington DC for the National March on Washington for Palestine. The march was the largest in the history of the United States in support of Palestine and was the culmination of weeks of protests in cities across the country.
Speakers who addressed the rally emphasized the historic nature of the violence suffered by the Palestinian people under Israeli occupation, highlighting that the genocidal bombing of Gaza in the past several weeks is an escalation of the already existing policy of ethnic cleansing implemented by Israel for the last 75 years. Noura Erakat, Mahdi Bray of the American Muslim Alliance, Eugene Puryear of the Party for Socialism and Liberation, and many others also sharply condemned the complicity of the US government in Israel’s crimes, insisting that the Biden administration must listen to the voice of the people in the US and cut all funding.
There was a resounding call by both speakers and the hundreds of thousands of participants to continue mobilizing and building momentum and they called for participation in an internationally-coordinated day of disruption on Thursday, November 9 titled “Shut it Down for Palestine!”.
Yara Shoufani of the Palestinian Youth Movement said, “This was a watershed moment for the Palestinian cause. US politicians can no longer say that they are in any way acting in the interests of their citizens. What we saw today confirms that across the US there is resounding support not only for a ceasefire in Gaza, but also for Palestinian liberation and an end to the Israeli occupation of our land.”
“The massive turnout is a resounding rejection of the policies of the Biden administration, which is shamefully taking part in Israel’s genocide in Gaza. Without the support of the US government, Israel’s terrible crimes would not be possible,” said ANSWER Coalition Executive Director Brian Becker.
The November 9 Global Shutdown for Palestine was called for by the Palestinian Youth Movement, National Students for Justice in Palestine, ANSWER Coalition, The People’s Forum, and International Peoples’ Assembly.
For more information about the Global Shutdown for Palestine and a list of the planned actions visit the website shutitdown4palestine.org.
Press inquiries: Zoe Alexandra – zoe@ipa-aip.org – +17818790200
Categories: Statements + Announcements
