15 thousands of communist and pe

15 thousands of communist and peace activists marched in Tel Aviv yesterday evening

Communist Party of Israel (CPI)

June 07, 2010

http://www.maki.org.il , mailto:interelations@maki.org.il


15 thousands of communist and peace activists marched in Tel Aviv yesterday evening (Saturday, June 5) to mark 43 years of Palestinian and Arab territories occupation while taking the opportunity to slam recent IDF murder raids on Gaza-bound ships.

Dozens of fascist counter-protesters periodically attempted to disrupt the demonstration, and at one point a smoke grenade was hurled at the protestors outside the Tel Aviv Museum in face of the Defense Ministry. No injuries were reported in the incident. Later, right-wing protesters tried to attack veteran peace activist Uri Avneri, snatching signs he was carrying.

The demonstration, which was held under the slogan "The government is drowning us all,” was originally planned by the Communist Party of Israel (CPI) and Hadash (the Democratic Front for Peace and Equality) solely to protest the occupation, but following last Monday’s Israeli deadly raid on a Turkish vessel trying to run the Gaza blockade, the rally also addressed the criminal government’s policies in regard to the Gaza Strip and the military operation that left nine foreigners dead.

"The government is drowning us all" read a large sign in the rally. Dov Khenin, a legislator for Hadash and leading communist militant, charged that “Barak has refused to move on the path of peace and leads [us to] a dangerous deterioration. The same people who sent the soldiers to take over the flotilla in the middle of the night are liable to send Israel to a new and terrible war". Hadash chairman Mohamed Barakeh declared, “We will not let the crazy right wing push aside the left and the Arab sector into political isolation.”

A spokesman for the organizers of the rally told journalists it “was an even bigger success than he expected” and that he believes the past week’s events had led to an increase in the number of participants. That it showed that “people are opposed to this government that is driving us toward international isolation and a new war.”

The communist and pacifist protestors, who were walking from Rabin Square to the Tel Aviv Museum, were holding up signs reading "The government is sinking all of us – we must aspire for peace". Other marchers held up signs reading "Israel, Palestine, two states for two people".  The rally has been organized by a communist and peace coalition that includes Hadash, CPI and Meretz parties, the Young Communist Guard (Banki-Shabiba), Peace Now, Gush Shalom, Yesh Gvul, Physicians for Human Rights, and other organizations. The march was being lead by CPI chairman Muhammad Nafah, Knesset Members Muhammad Barakeh, Dov Khenin, Afo Agbarie and Hanna Sweid (from Hadash) and Knesset Members Haim Oron and Nitzan Horowitz (from Meretz).

Photos from the rally:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/hadash-aljabha/4672632094/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/zivpu/4672209315/

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?id=589139584&aid=178348&l=929bd04604&s=0&hash=bae83af53cdca892ca5f1eeb33f242b6