(New York) A few hundred progressive American Jewish activists peacefully occupied the Statue of Liberty in New York on Monday to demand a cease-fire from Israel and an end to the “genocidal bombing of Palestinian civilians in Gaza.”
Dressed in black t-shirts emblazoned with the slogans “Jews demand a ceasefire now” or “not in our name”, a few hundred young people unfurled banners “the whole world is watching” and “the Palestinians should be free » at the foot of the base of the emblematic monument symbol of New York.
“The famous words of our Jewish ancestor [la poétesse américaine du XIXe siècle] Emma Lazarus engraved on this monument compels us to act in support of Palestinians in Gaza who aspire to live free,” Jay Saper of Jewish Voice for Peace (JVP) said in a statement.
PHOTO DAVE SANDERS, THE NEW YORK TIMES
The demonstrators demanded from Israel a cease-fire and an end to the “genocidal bombing of Palestinian civilians in Gaza”
A statement from the Institute for Middle East Understanding (Imeu) group demands “an end to Israel’s genocidal bombing of Palestinian civilians in Gaza.”
“As long as the people of Gaza are screaming, we must scream louder, regardless of the attempts to silence us,” exclaimed American photographer Nancy Goldin, also in the presence of local elected officials from New York, including one part is very anchored on the left.
The American megalopolis, a mythical world city for immigration and multiculturalism, has been shaken for a month by demonstrations in favor of Israel and pro-Palestinians.
PHOTO DAVE SANDERS, THE NEW YORK TIMES
Dressed in black t-shirts emblazoned with the slogans “Jews demand a ceasefire now” or “not in our name”, a few hundred young people gathered at the foot of the Statue of Liberty
Populated by some two million Jews and hundreds of thousands of Muslims, New York has so far escaped violence, but tensions are palpable, particularly on university campuses like Columbia.
In addition, a part of very progressive American Jewish youth – Jews overwhelmingly voting for the Democratic Party – is up in arms against Israel, which they accuse of perpetrating a “genocide” of the Palestinians in Gaza. They also denounce President Joe Biden’s military and diplomatic support for the Jewish state.
Organizations like JVP gathered tens of thousands of demonstrators in the federal capital Washington on Saturday to demand an immediate ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, and criticizing the American policy of support for Israel.
The immense Grand Central station in Manhattan was also occupied by a giant sit-in of thousands of people at the end of October with the same demands and the gigantic multicultural and fashionable borough of Brooklyn saw thousands surge ten days ago of pro-Palestinian activists, including American Jewish organizations.