New Orleans commemorates Al Nakba, continues demands for a Sanctuary City

New Orleans, LA – On Saturday, May 17, New Orleans organizers and community members gathered in the Jackson Square amphitheater in New Orleans’ French Quarter, drawing attention from onlookers and tourists about the 77th anniversary of the Nakba – or catastrophe – perpetrated against the Palestinians.

Over 100 community members took to the streets to remind New Orleans that the for-Palestine movement will not stop until the city divests from the apartheid state of Israel. They held signs reading, “The Nakba is happening now” and “200k + Palestinians displaced in Gaza, 40k+ displaced on the West Bank in the past year.”

Leaders from the local chapter of the Palestinian Youth Movement emphasized the importance of a “people’s embargo” on entities involved in arming Israel, such as the logistics and shipment company Maersk, which is in charge of shipping U.S.-manufactured weapons from the top five weapons manufacturers to Israel.

The march took over the busy streets of the French Quarter, stopping by the U.S. Customs and Border Protection Office on Canal Street to demand “Free Mahmoud Khalil now!” Khalil, a Palestinian green card holder and student at Columbia university, has been detained by the Trump administration in an immigration facility in Jena, Louisiana for over two months. Located over 1000 miles away from his hometown of New York City, Khalil has been illegally separated from his family for having advocated against the Israeli genocide of the Palestinian people.

“We need to let ICE and the Trump administration know that we are watching,” said Hakm Murad from the Palestinian Youth Movement.

The previous day, Friday May 16 at noon, local organization New Orleans Stop Helping Israel’s Ports (NOSHIP) held a rally outside of the New Orleans ICE Field Office, which oversees the detentions in all immigration facilities in Louisiana and more. This rally was the second of a series of rallies to be held by the New Orleans for Palestine Coalition, every Friday at noon for the foreseeable future.

NOSHIP highlighted the importance of uniting all who can be united to fight against Trump’s attacks on the pro-Palestine, immigrant rights, student, and Black liberation movements.

“We are not just here to yell at ICE every week,” said Maya Sanchez, an organizer with NOSHIP. “We have specific demands: we want no collaboration between local police forces and ICE, we want ICE off our campuses now, and we must defend the right to protest for Palestine and beyond. We will bring these demands here every week, and we will also bring these demands to the city council. We will not stop until all those in power either get in line or get out!”

The demand for a sanctuary city has gathered the support of over a dozen local organizations and will be brought forth during a pivotal mayoral election year in New Orleans.

#NewOrleansLA #LA #AntiWarMovement #Nakba #Palestine #NOSHIP