Milwaukee demands ‘Hands off Gaza with a banner drop

Milwaukee, WI – On Tuesday, August 19, around 25 people held a banner drop at the Locust Street overpass in Milwaukee, demanding an end to the destruction and starvation of Gaza, an end to U.S. aid to Israel, and calling for a free Palestine.

Led by the Milwaukee Anti-war Committee (MAC) and co-sponsored by the statewide Wisconsin Coalition for Justice in Palestine, the banner drop was in response to an emergency call to action by the Anti-War Action Network, a national network of anti-war organizations.

Residents of Milwaukee responded swiftly to the call, bringing with them banners, homemade signs, and Palestinian and peace flags. Banners and signs included messages such as “End starvation of Gaza”, “Stop genocide” and “Victory to the Palestinian Resistance.” All throughout the banner drop, the crowd chanted in solidarity with Palestine, shouting, “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free!” and “We want justice, you say how, end the siege on Gaza now!”

Held during peak rush hour, the banner drop was popular with the cars driving on the highway below and on the overpass above. There were exuberant honks from cars and trucks driving past, with many people waving out of their windows in the heavy traffic. Some drivers yelled “Free Palestine!” out of their cars, to cheers from the banner drop attendees. Though there were a few naysayers on the road, the supporters vastly outnumbered them.

In addition to the banner drop, some of the people gathered grabbed chalk to express their solidarity with Palestine. “Israel is a terrorist state! Stop blocking land aid to Gaza!” one large chalk message said. “Boycott Israel!” said another.

Sara Onitsuka, chair of the Milwaukee Anti-war Committee and member of Freedom Road Socialist Organization stated, “Though mainstream media in the U.S. is not covering it, we have been hearing from folks on the ground in Gaza that a ground invasion of Gaza has begun. This is yet another escalation after nearly two years of Israel committing the most brutal and heinous acts of genocide.”

Onitsuka continued, “We must act now. We must keep talking about Palestine and keep it front and center in our lives.”

Chris Van Valkenberg, of Students for a Democratic Society stated, “Hearing all the honks from the cars and semi-trucks driving on the freeway below during the peak of rush hour was a constant reminder that the fight for Palestine is a working class issue. That the workers of Milwaukee know they are closer to the people of Palestine than they ever will be to the people conducting and aiding to their genocide.”

The people of Milwaukee have made it clear, time and time again, that they will keep responding and keep fighting until Palestine is free.

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