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38th Naksa Day Marked with Mass Demonstration in Bil段n
Latest News, The Grassroots Palestinian Anti-Apartheid Wall Campaign, June 3rd, 2005

Above: Bil'in youth leading the resistance

Large demonstrations against the Apartheid Wall in the village of Bil段n marked the 38th anniversary of Al Naksa - the Occupation of the West Bank and the Gaza Strip in 1967. Around a thousand protesters from villages throughout the district, and Bil段n itself, gathered on land that is being confiscated and destroyed for the construction of the Wall. The demonstration culminated in clashes and confrontations with the Occupation Forces, as people expressed their steadfast determination to resist the Apartheid Wall.

The demonstration began with a mass public prayer on the village land. The prayers were led by Sheikh Tayseer Al-Tamimi, Chief Islamic Judge for Palestine, who urged the villagers to be strong and resolute in the defence of their lands and their resistance to the Occupation.

Once the prayers were finished, large numbers of Occupation Forces attacked demonstrators with metal-covered wooden batons, rubber bullets and tear gas. Villagers responded by physically confronting the Occupation Forces and throwing stones.

Ten protesters were injured by the Occupation Forces. Dozens more suffered from inhalation of the large amount of tear gas which was fired at the demonstrators.

Above: On the march: Villagers head for their confiscated lands

Above: Steadfast: Occupation brutality has led to over 100 Palestinians wounded over the last 3 months

The day痴 demonstration was organized by the Local Popular Committees, in coordination with the National Campaign to Resist the Apartheid Wall, to express support for the continued resistance of the Apartheid Wall by the people of Bil段n in recent months. Occupation bulldozers entered the village in February and have since met with intense daily resistance from the villagers. If completed, the Wall will steal more than half of Bil段n痴 lands.

The Popular Committees have announced a nationwide programme of community activities against the Wall to mark Al Naksa and the occupation of the rest of Palestine. The demonstration in Bil段n was the first in a series of events throughout the West Bank that will continue until June 10th.

Above: Praying on the lands being destroyed for the Apartheid Wall