More than 250 people gathered in busy Washington Square Park in San Francisco for the November 9th International Day of Action against Israelâs Apartheid Wall called for by grassroots Palestinian mobilization. A giant mock Wall â 12 feet high and 25 feet long â was created to demand attention to the horrific reality that Palestinians face with the construction of the Apartheid Wall in Palestine. Throughout the day, demonstrators and passers-by were encouraged to use the mock Wall as a canvas to sprawl Anti-Wall slogans and other messages in support of Palestinian mobilization and an end to Occupation. After several hours, in a powerful display of solidarity and collective action, demonstrators tore the Wall to the ground, amidst people chanting âTear Down the Wallâ and loud cheers of support from the crowd and passers-by.
***image4***The dayâs demonstration also included numerous outlets for education and networking among individuals and groups concerned with ending the devastating conditions imposed on Palestinians by the Israeli Occupation and the Apartheid Wall. Passers-by and demonstrators heard from numerous speakers, received flyers and visited the 10 information stations, packed with literature about the Wall, the Anti-Apartheid Wall Campaign and different local and international support organizations. The event was very successful in attracting passers-by, locals, and tourists who offered many words of support and were anxious to learn more about the Wall and its true impact.
Many creative, educational and visually stunning displays were erected throughout the park, including a display of child-size coffins next to a group of activists reading the names of all the children who have died since the beginning of this Intifada. Huge maps of the Wallâs destructive path were posted on large standing displays, along with enlarged photos of the Wall and images of the tremendous impact it has already caused in the lives of Palestinians. Middle Eastern drumming and a brass orchestra, as well as street theater depicting the “auctioning off” of Palestinian lands, homes, wells and olive trees by Sharon and the U.S created a lively and compelling atmosphere and offered numerous ways for people to access details, facts and important information about the Wall and the Occupation.
The Bay Area Coalition Against the Wall includes: Al-Awda-SF, ADCSF, American Friends Service Committee, Bay Area Justice in Palestine Coalition, Friends of Deir Ibzi’a, Global Exchange, General Union of Palestinian Students, Northern California ISM Support Group, Jewish Voice for Peace, Marin Peace and Justice Coalition, Middle East Children¹s Alliance, National Lawyers Guild, Not In Our Name, Presente, QUIT!, SUSTAIN, Vukani Mawethu, and many more.
Mobilization continues in the Bay Area, as Students for Justice in Palestine at UC Berkeley and the General Union of Palestinian Students at SF State have already set dates for the wall to be erected on their campuses.
For more information, please contact info@wallbusters.net
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For more photos, please visit San Francisco IndyMedia