Large Palestine solidarity marches have become an important feature of the new international situation following the Israeli invasion of Gaza. The controversies surrounding the extraordinary 300,000 strong demonstration in London led to the dismissal of Suella Braverman as British Home Secretary. In this country, there are virtually daily reports of new rallies and protests. The purpose of this article is to report on the most recent Chicago demonstration.
There were 5,000 marchers in Chicago on Sunday, November 12. It was the latest in a series of demonstrations that have taken place here since the war began. The march started with a rally at Water Tower Place and then went down the Magnificent Mile shopping area before returning to the rally site. The composition of the march was about two-thirds Palestinian and one-third their supporters. The supporters generally were young and seemed to have come as individuals or in small groups. They were not part of organized contingents, and they carried mostly homemade placards. This suggests that the movement is reaching new forces. It is drawing in people who feel strongly about the issue, find out that a demonstration is taking place, and then decide that they want to go down to it. This shows a new resonance for the Palestinian cause in the United States today.
While the young American supporters were not organized and structured, the Palestinians certainly were. There was a clear route for the march, a large and efficient marshalling team, a powerful sound system, and plenty of prepared placards.
There was a tolerant and diverse atmosphere on the march. There were banners of “Gays For Gaza”. The comrades of the International Marxist Tendency and Party for Socialism and Liberation freely distributed their literature and carried their banners, while at the same time there were Muslims praying towards Mecca in the tradition of the Qibla. There were scores of placards with the messages and slogans of Jewish supporters of the demonstration. Everyone was welcome in the common movement. There was a great feeling of camaraderie.
There were a few signs promising electoral repercussions for Biden, but this was not a major theme of the day. There was more attention given to the ceasefire slogan. Most chants and placards focused on general solidarity with the Palestinian people and on outrage at the Israeli assault which has claimed over 11,000 lives. The general sense of the marchers was that they stood firmly on the side of the Palestinians. That was the main point that they wanted to make.
“And I went down to the demonstration To get my fair share of abuse”
There were absolutely no signs of antisemitism whatsoever. There was not a single placard that was in any way hostile to Jewish people nor were there any such chants or speakers. This is a progressive movement that leans to the left. This is so obvious that it shouldn’t be necessary to belabor the point.
However, the current wave of Palestine demonstrations has been attacked by a tsunami of slanders. The baseless charges of antisemitism have filled the airwaves and social media. There is simply no evidence to support the charge that the demonstrations are antisemitic.
Let’s take one example. The charge is being widely circulated that marchers have chanted, “Israel, Israel, you can’t hide. We want a Jewish genocide.” It appears this assertion began with a social media post by Mayim Bialik, the well-known actress and game show host. Bialik cites a demonstration at her alma mater, UCLA. It’s easy to find footage of the specific demonstration that she refers to. The chant is clearly, “We charge you with genocide” not “We want a Jewish genocide”.
The slogan “We charge you with genocide” has been a common feature of demonstrations for years. Anyone with the slightest familiarity with the history of protests and marches in this country is completely aware of this. In fact, the slogan originates in the famous 1951 petition to the UN concerning racism in this country by Communist Party leader William Patterson. The We Charge Genocide campaign, which was supported by WEB DuBois and Paul Robeson, caused considerable international publicity about racism and lynchings in the Jim Crow South. Saying that our movement has chanted, “We want a Jewish genocide” is not a mistake or error. It is a conscious lie which is propagated precisely because the slanderers have no factual evidence to go on. It is therefore necessary for them to invent the evidence.
The Palestinian demonstrations have got far more than their “fair share of abuse”.
Sunday’s march was not the only recent event in Chicago that protested the Gaza war. The next day Jewish Voice for Peace held a large civil disobedience action inside the Ogilvie Center. The Ogilvie Center is a large transport and office center that houses the Israeli consulate. Protestors peacefully blocked the escalators leading to 106 arrests. The action received significant media coverage. The fact that it was organized by Jewish Voice for Peace obviously severely undercuts the antisemitism narrative.
Socialist and Marxist articles frequently end with words of advice or hopefully helpful proposals, “the movement must do x, y, and z to go forward”. The organizers of the current wave of Palestine demonstrations have put together a movement that is drawing in thousands of new young people; a movement that is effectively organized; a movement that is clearly focused on solidarity with Palestine; a movement that uses tactics and slogans that reach outward to new layers of potential support; and a movement that totally rejects antisemitism.
My advice to them? They should keep doing exactly what they’re doing.
Adam Shils
Adam Shils is a member of the International Socialism Project in Chicago.
