11/17/12 With the ongoing Israeli assault on Gaza, Austin activists gathered at the Capitol building to express their solidarity in the struggle for a free Palestine. The activists marched down Congress avenue which was crowded with people attending the formula one fan fest.
November 14th made headlines as we watched Gaza come under attack. As the news of the collateral damage that ensued during the targeted assassination of Ahmed Jabari, head of the militant wing of Hamas, many people around the world began to rally in solidarity with the people of Gaza. These rallies are not just a random display of support but are a call to action that collectively says "not in our name."
Austin has a longstanding tradition of supporting social justice and human rights, and it's time once again to get out in solidarity with those caught in the cross-hairs of aggression. The United States government fully supports what Israel claims to be its "right to self defense" but in this case that position is hardly justifiable. Gaza has been under blockade since 2006 and has no army, navy, or air force. A largely defenseless civilian population, still feeling the effects of the last major attack in 2008, which lasted 22 days and claimed the lives of 1,400 civilians. The population is powerless to protect itself in this time of crisis.
With the ongoing attacks Noam Chomsky's words resonate: "When Israelis in the occupied territories now claim that they have to defend themselves, they are defending themselves in the sense that any military occupier has to defend itself against the population they are crushing... You can't defend yourself when you're militarily occupying someone else's land. That's not defense. Call it what you like, it's not defense."
Video produced and edited for Austin Indymedia by Jeff Zavala. Filmed by Jeff Zavala and Grace Alfar A ZGraphix production. http://zgraphix.org