World stands up against terror

January 6, 2009
Issue 

People all over the world have finally taken US President George Bush's call for a "war on terror" seriously, taking to the streets to demand the biggest terrorist organisation in the Middle East, the Israeli Defence Force, immediately cease its terror campaign against the people of Gaza.

Many protests are still being planned, and many more have occurred than can be reported. On January 3, 150,000 predominantly Palestinians marched in the northern Israeli city of Sakhnin. In Tel Aviv, 10,000 anti-war protesters marched.

Ongoing protests have occurred across the Occupied Palestinian Territory of the West Bank, with Israeli soldiers shooting dead a 21-year-old demonstrator on January 4, according to an AFP report.

Protests have occurred in major cities right across the Arab world. In Egypt, the regime of Hosni Mubarak arrested dozens of pro-Palestinian activists and blockaded mosques in an attempt to stop protests against Mubarak's collaboration with Israel's crimes. In Lebanon, riot police used water cannon's on students marching on the US embassy in Beirut. In Jordan, tear gas was used on thousands of pro-Palestinian protesters.

Hundreds of thousands took to the streets across Turkey on January 3 to condemn Israel's war, with organisers claiming 700,000 marched in Istanbul.

Across the US, according to the US Socialist Worker, thousands poured into the streets as news of Israel's bloody assault came through.

On December 30, thousands protested in a national day of action in Chicago, San Francisco, New York, Washington, Los Angeles, Portland, Seattle, Atlanta, San Diego, Baltimore, Nashville, Denver, Boston, New Orleans, Kansas City and many more places.

The January 2 SW also reported: "In Hawaii, where [president-elect Barack] Obama and his family were on vacation in the fancy Oahu suburb of Kailu, a handful of protesters gathered nearby with placards that read 'No U.S. support for Israel' and 'Gazans need food and medicine, not war'."

In London on January 3, 60,000 people marched, according to the British Socialist Worker, with demonstrators throwing shoes outside the residence of Prime Minister Gordon Brown in protest of his support for Israel. In Paris, more than 20,000 marched. Demonstrations also occurred in a number of other British and French cities.

Protests also occurred that day in Madrid, Amsterdam, Milan, Bremen, Salzburg, Athens, Stockholm, Helsinki, Moscow, Dublin, Belfast and more. In Glasgow, 2000 braved freezing weather, while 1000 marched in Edinburgh.

Also on January 3, in Toronto, 12,000 protesters marched on the Israeli embassy. Protests have also occurred in Ottawa, Montreal and Vancouver. In Johannesburg, 2000 protested outside the US embassy, while a protest occurred in Cape Town on December 29.

Demonstrations have also taken place across Latin America, south-east Asia (with at least 10,000 in Jakarta, while in Manila, protesters threw a giant show at the Israeli embassy) and in Auckland and Wellington.

[For more details of global protests, and for pictures and videos, visit and .]

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