Oct 8

Oct 8 Palestinians Out In Force

Chicago, Demonstrations, Protest, Public Declarations

I saw a notice for today’s demonstration in my Instagram feed late yesterday afternoon. It called for an emergency mobilization of Chicago’s Palestinian community. Time: 1:00 PM. Place: 500 West Madison, the Accenture Tower (also known as the Ogilvie Transportation Center), where the Consulate General of Israel has its Chicago office.

I instantly knew that this would be a large and boisterous demonstration, with the potential for violence if counter-demonstrators showed up. The Chicago Police Department was overtaxed this morning with the Chicago Marathon, but they apparently shared my view. Barricades lined the street in front of the Accenture Tower, with the demonstrators relegated to the sidewalk on the other side of the street. Dozens of Chicago police flanked the entrance and the surrounding intersections. Nobody was getting into Accenture Tower unless they had official business or a Metra ticket.

I also saw one armed official wearing a black, Homeland security vest. I didn’t see others with similar vests, but I strongly sensed that there were other Homeland security personnel present.

When I arrived at 1:00 PM, the crowd numbered 150. Several people stood in the back of a truck taking turns leading the crowd in chants against Israel, Zionists, the Occupation, apartheid, and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. They exuded both anger and jubilance.

Over the next 45 minutes, the crowd grew exponentially, until it reached what I estimate to be 1,500 people. I ran that number past another photographer who regularly covers demonstrations for national news outlets. Neither of us was entirely sure, but he agreed that it was not an unreasonable estimate.

Many in attendance wore keffiyehs, the signature black and white scarfs, or other attire identifying them as members of the Palestinian community but not all those present were Palestinians. More than a few were committed leftists—some wearing clothing identifying themselves as socialists—who view Israel’s occupation and related treatment of the Palestinians no differently than they viewed South Africa’s decades-long apartheid. Early on, two members of the Nation of Islam’s security force, the Fruit of Islam, showed up—one with a camera to document the event. He was warmly greeted by one of the demonstrators, who may have been an organizer.

There was only one counter-demonstrator. That woman is clearly committed to the Israeli cause given the courage she exhibited.. Carrying a sign that read, “Stop Hamas From Raping Israeli Women,” this lone partisan briefly paraded in front of the crowd, but the police moved quickly, forcing her to the other side of the street behind the barricades. As an aside, this is a perfect example of how CPD has handled demonstrations in recent years: allow the free exercise of First Amendment rights, but make sure everyone is safe.

Over the course of the next 45 minutes, several speakers took the mic, offering more heat than light with their remarks. Lots of slogans, but very few facts or cogent arguments as to why the Palestinians might have legitimate complaints with their treatment by the Israels over the past 75 years. Derisive comments about Zionists falls far short of the mark. Instead, talk about the poverty and living conditions, the impact of the Israeli settlements in the West Bank and the 16-year blockade of Gaza, limits on free movement, and other indignities that have left the Palestinians to burn from within, but that finally sparked a rampaging fire on the 50th anniversary of the Yom Kippur War. Offer a realistic resolution to the dilemma that confronts both the Israelis and Palestinians.

I always listen closely to the chants, often finding myself chanting along under my breath, not because I agree, but because of the repetition and musicality. Sort of an ear-worm. Today, I had to laugh because my earplugs were distorting what were already muffled phrases. During one chant in Arabic, I thought I heard the words, “Baruch atah.” Funny yes, but my confusion highlights the fact that the Jews and Arabs have more in common than either side acknowledges; an observation that is on full display in the popular Israeli television series Fauda.

Sometime just after 2:00 PM, the crowd spilled into the street, resulting in the police closing it to traffic. Then a half-block-long Palestinian flag was unfurled, with demonstrators gathering on all four sides of the flag, raising it above the asphalt below.

Following a release of colorful balloons, several small groups carried banners to the intersection of Madison and Canal Streets. It took about 10 to 15 minutes before the demonstrators formed themselves into a marching unit. But once the maroon RAM pickup truck in front of the lead banners began to roll forward, the marchers followed. The route: east on Madison; then north on Dearborn; then west on Randolph, and finally south on Clinton back to the Accenture Tower. Suffice it to say, I exceeded my goal of 10,000 steps, hitting 6.14 miles for the day.

At that point, people milled about, but the demonstrators dispersed within 15 or 20 minutes. As I left, I passed one police officer, saying to him, “You guys hit double Nickels today: first the marathon and now this,” which produced a laugh. I then thanked him as I headed off to find a bathroom. Don’t drink coffee before a 2.5-hour demonstration.

Six-thousand miles away, the Israeli government’s damage assessment was coming to light. Some of today’s speakers justified the carnage, or at least that was the subtext of their remarks. But no one can or should ever justify killing civilians, particularly elderly women, children, and scores of young people at a music festival. Nor is kidnapping civilians ever acceptable. The West has rightly condemned such atrocities, as well Hamas’ military incursion into Israel and the associated rocket attacks.

Regardless of whether those actions are right or wrong, they were inevitable, as Roger Cohen explains in an excellent article in today’s edition of the New York Times. Once the ‘why’ is known, the solution is pretty obvious.

Clark quotes the former head of the Mossad, who years ago said, “[the status quo] will deteriorate into either an apartheid state or a non-Jewish state. If we continue to rule the territories, I see that as an existential danger.” Clark then writes, “Mr. Netanyahu never wanted to listen to such warning or engage in serious talks for a two-state peace.” The long and short of it: Once Netanyahu mounts what will most likely be a violent response to appease the hardliners, the Israel electorate will need to ask whether Israelis and Palestinians will continue to be held hostage to Israel’s hard-right religious zealots.

The anger exhibited on the streets of Chicago today reflects the anger that boiled over this weekend in Gaza (and the West Bank). Israel cannot make that anger evaporate until the fighting ends and both sides work toward a solution that addresses the Palestinian grievances.

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