For Immediate Release
North Carolinians Protest on Sunday to Demand an Immediate Cease-Fire by Israel!
Manzoor Cheema, 919-412-7008. Manzooracheema@gmail.com
Organizer with People’s Power Lab and Muslims for Social Justice
Rania Masri: 984-302-1782. Rania.z.masri@gmail.com
Co-Director at NC Environmental Justice Network
Protest for Ceasefire at Moore Square (210 Blount Street) in Raleigh.
When: Sunday, December 3. 3-5 pm
Since October 7, 2023, the lives of Palestinians, Muslims, and allies have been devastated by Israel's war on Gaza. To date, at least 15,000 in Gaza and the West Bank have been killed by Israel, approximately 40% of whom are children. The Israeli bombing has not spared civilians, doctors, journalists, and hospitals. Emergency relief has been denied, and water/electricity has been cut off. The US-based Center for Constitutional Rights has declared current Israel's war on Gaza as a "genocide."
On top of that, there has been a dramatic increase in Islamophobia and anti-Semitism in the USA. According to the Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR), there have been 1,283 incidents of anti-Muslim and anti-Arab attacks since October 7.
During the current crisis in the Middle East, our elected officials have hugely disappointed and betrayed our people. The US President and the Congress have refused calls for a ceasefire. The majority of the US Congress has censured Rashida Tlaib, the only Palestinian congress member, for her speech demanding a ceasefire. This is despite the fact that 80% of the Democratic electorate, 56% of Republican voters, and 66% of all voters support a ceasefire (source: Data for Progress).
Millions of people around the world and in the USA have protested against Israel's war on Gaza. The current war has exposed Israel's brutal occupation and apartheid regime that has killed hundreds of thousands of people and displaced millions of people. As a result of the people's movement, the US Congress members have been shifting their position in favor of a ceasefire. While a handful of Congressmembers supported the ceasefire about a month ago, currently, 53 members of Congress call for a ceasefire by Israel's war on Gaza. Many cities across the country have passed ceasefire resolutions, including Detroit (MI), Atlanta (GA), Richmond (CA), Wilmington (DE), Akron (Ohio), and Carrboro, North Carolina.
Organizers in the Triangle area of North Carolina will organize a massive rally for ceasefire and Palestine Freedom on Sunday, December 3, at 3pm. This rally and march will take pale at Moore Square (210 Blount Street) in downtown Raleigh. We believe that Palestine is not a Palestinian or Muslim issue but a human rights issue. Jews, Christians, Muslims, atheists, anti-racism, worker rights, women's rights, and people of all backgrounds will join our rally to say "no" to the Israeli war on Gaza. Some of the organizations co-sponsoring our rally include Muslims for Social Justice, North Carolina Environmental Justice Network, Party for Socialism and Liberation, Refund Raleigh, Muslim Women For, Jewish Voice for Peace - Triangle, Migrant Roots Media, NC Green Party, Democratic Socialists of America, People's Power Lab and other organizations.
We demand that Wake County-based congressional representatives Deborah Ross and Wiley Nickel support the call for a permanent ceasefire. We also demand the City of Raleigh to pass a resolution for a ceasefire and ban future police exchanges with Israel. Durham, NC, was the first city in the country to ban such exchanges in 2018. We look forward to working with partners and allies for a permanent ceasefire, ending US military aid to Israel, and ending racism and inequality at home. We believe all of our struggles are interconnected. In the words of Fannie Lou Hamer, “Nobody's free until everybody’s free!”
