Palestinian Supporters March in Downtown Memphis
Published May 17, 2021
The Tennessee Conservative Staff –
A group of nearly 300 individuals marched in downtown Memphis to express their support for the people of Palestine after a string of recent Israeli strikes in Gaza City.
They chanted “Long live Palestine” as they marched. The group continued with “Hey hey, ho ho, the occupation has got to go” and “free, free Palestine” on their trek from Memphis City Hall to the National Civil Rights Museum.
Rallies in support of Palestinians were held across the world this past weekend after the latest round of attacks.
On Sunday, Israeli airstrikes in Gaza City took out three buildings and left at least 42 people dead, according to the Associated Press. This would be the deadliest single attack since the newest fights between Israel and militant Hamas rulers started a week ago.
The death toll is currently close to 200 people, and another 1200 have been wounded.
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Sheikh Anwar Arafat addressed the crowd. Arafat told them that his family in Gaza had been forced to evacuate their homes and that he had received a text from his aunt that he feared may be the last.
“(Palestinians) know that you’re here, and your presence gives them strength,” Arafat said. “You should be proud.”
The chanting continued with “Occupation is a crime from Memphis to Palestine” and “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free.”
Raneem Elayan, one of the people in attendance, said that everyone should be concerned about the issue.
“Everybody is tied to it, whether it’s your tax dollars or your religion,” Elayan said. “It’s not fair to look at every issue we have and ignore this one. You can’t selectively choose what violation of human rights you want to speak out about.”
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced that the war with Gaza’s Hamas rulers would continue, despite efforts to call for a cease-fire. He was joined in a televised address by defense minister and political rival Benny Gantz as a display of unity in the continuation of “full-force” attacks.
Similar rallies took place in major cities across the country and the world, including Atlanta, Boston, Sacramento, and Chicago. Supporters say they are “begging to be heard”. Some blame the American education system for not shedding light on the truth about what is happening with Israel.
Danai Helou, another supporter, hopes the protest will heighten awareness of the acts of brutality being brought against Palestinians by the Israeli government and military.
Helou is the co-founder of Memphis Voices for Palestine, and she wants Americans to push for the government to put a halt to the $3.8 billion in military aid given to Israel each year.
“The Israeli government and military are ethnically cleansing and committing crimes against humanity against the Palestinians,” Helou said. “I hope that people reach out to their congress-people and pressure their congress-people and representatives to without that funding. I hope that people commit to the boycott, divestment and sanctions movement, which is a call to boycott Israeli and Israel supporting companies.”
Thank you for posting this info. i was not aware of such support that is pro Palestine and anti Israel in Tennessee. This is alarming, as I believe America must stand strong with Israel.
Very sorry to hear only one side of the story. If some research was done by your reporters you would find that there is no Israeli Apartheid and no ethnic cleansing, all a lie! The Palestinians in Gaza were essentially given their own state, no Israeli presence at all, and what did they do with it? Made it a hell hole and a base to shoot rockets on Israelis! Not at the army, at the people.
I expect better reporting from a conservative publication.
Not one word in this article about the hundreds of missiles Hamas shot into Israel or the fact that Israel warned Palestinian civilians to leave the area they were about to bomb.
I know the article was about the march but its still one-sided.
If they would leave Israel along, peace would be present. But the Hamas can not leave it along. Very sad but Israel must defend itself.
And just exactly when are we going to ask when the Palestinian leadership is going to be held accountable by their own people for their co Stan attacks on Israel which result in Israel returning fire? When are they going to ask where the money is coming from to finance these attacks; to buy the missiles and bombs? When are they going to ask why the money is used to attack Israel, not provide housing, food, education and better transportation infrastructure? When are they going to agree that Israel has a right to exist?
Sorry, protestors, go back and study your history and that of Israel.