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Support for Terrorism at Anti-War Protests
August 12 protestors supported terrorism and hatred for Jews and Israel
Posted: August 17, 2006
Disturbing support for terrorism and hatred for Jews and Israel permeated large anti-war rallies held across America on August 12. Protestors advocated in support of Hezbollah and other Middle Eastern terrorist groups, and expressed their support for “resistance movements” fighting against Israel and against American forces in Iraq. Official speakers at the events denounced Israel’s existence, and many of the protesters equated Zionism with Nazism. Some of the more radical chants were made in Arabic, including a call for Hezbollah to bomb Israeli cities.
The gatherings, which took place in Washington D.C., San Francisco, San Diego, Los Angeles and Seattle, were sponsored and endorsed by prominent organizations representing the Muslim and Arab communities in the U.S., together with organizers of antiwar rallies and far-left socialist groups. Organizers included the ANSWER Coalition, the Muslim American Society, the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC) and the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR).
- At the rally in Washington DC, which was the largest event, one speaker declared: “from this podium I salute Hezbollah,” which prompted loud cheers from the crowd. Children danced at the protests while adults chanted in support of Hezbollah and the bombing of Israeli cities. One popular chant declared: “Nasrallah, Nasrallah; the martyr is the beloved of Allah; the Zionists are the enemy of Allah.”
- In San Francisco, where about 2,500 gathered, protesters were chanting “Long live Lebanon. Long live Hezbollah.” Several were masked in Kaffiyeh and waved large Hezbollah flags or held posters of Sheik Nasrallah. One protester waved a green flag similar to the flag used by Hamas. A speaker read a poem that praised martyrdom and declared: “All of us are the resistance.” The crowd chanted: “We support the intifada, intifada all the way.” Another speaker stated: “Hezbollah and Hamas are freedom fighters, they are our heroes.” Signs held by the crowd included: “Nazi kikes out of Lebanon,” and “Israelis are murderers; kick them out of America.”
- Organizers of the San Diego rally declared that their goal was to “demand an end to U.S. financial and military support of the genocidal Zionist state” and to support a “right of return” for Palestinians living outside Israel. Signs held by the approximately 300 demonstrators included: “Long live Hezbollah,” “Israel, Israel, uber alles” and an American flag with a Star of David in place of the 50 stars and a swastika over the stripes, which were dripping into blood.
- At the Los Angeles gathering, Preston Wood, the local ANSWER coordinator, described Israel as “a colonial outpost that protects the interests of the corporate elite in Washington.” Signs at the rally included: “Hezbollah, Hamas – people’s resistance,” “We reject the racism of the Jewish state,” and “US/UK Israel: real axis of evil.”
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