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The National Lawyers Guild (NLG) condemns Israel's massive bombardment
of the Gaza Strip which has left over 300 dead and 1,400 wounded, with
the tolls mounting. The Israeli Air Force dropped more than 100 bombs
in dozens of locations throughout the Gaza Strip as children left
school on Saturday. The dead include men, women and children in school
uniforms.
" International law forbids the targeting of
civilians," said Radhika Sainath, a civil rights attorney and member of
the Free Gaza Committee of the NLG. "Israel must comply with laws of
war and the Fourth Geneva Convention." Today's massacre marks an
escalation of Israel's two-year blockade of the Strip which has
deprived 1.5 million Palestinians of necessary food, medicine, fuel and
other necessities. In November 2008, the United Nations stated that it
had run out of food to feed over 750,000 needy Gazans.
Israel
claims that the attack is in response to Palestinian rocket fire, which
caused no recent Israeli deaths and few injuries. However, Israel's
"rolling bombardment" and impending ground invasion is grossly
disproportionate in light of the minimal damage caused by Palestinian
rockets. "The law of war prohibits collective punishment and the
targeting of a civilian population disproportionate to military
necessity. Israel has flouted both these prohibitions, that follow its
illegal occupation of Palestinian territory and its sealing of Gaza,
subjecting Gazans to near starvation," said Marjorie Cohn, NLG
president and a professor of international law at Thomas Jefferson
School of Law. "The Human Rights and Security Assistance Act mandates
that the United States cease all military aid to Israel, which has
engaged in a consistent pattern of gross violations of internationally
recognized human rights."
Israeli military spokesman Avi
Benayahu stated that the Israeli bombardment of Gaza was "only just the
beginning," showing utter contempt for international norms and the
lives of innocent Palestinians. The Guild calls on the entire
international community, and the United States in particular, to demand
an end to Israel's blockade of the Occupied Territories and its
murderous assault on the Palestinian people. We urge everyone to join
in the demonstrations planned across the country in opposition to this
latest attack on the rule of law by Israel and we call on both sides to
immediately reinstate the cease fire.
Founded in 1937 as an
alternative to the American Bar Association, which did not admit people
of color, the National Lawyers Guild is the oldest and largest public
interest/human rights bar organization in the United States. Its
headquarters are in New York and it has chapters in every state.
Planned demonstrations and protests: CALIFORNIA Anaheim
Sunday, December 28, 2:00 pm 512 S. Brookhurst St. (between Orange Ave. & Broadway) Initiated by a coalition with a large number of groups
Los Angeles
Tuesday, December 30, 4:30 pm Israeli Consulate: 6380 Wilshire Blvd. Contact: 213-251-1025, answerla@answerla.org
San Diego Tuesday, December 30, 4:00 p.m. Federal Building 880 Front Street
San Francisco
Sunday, December 28, 12:00PM Protest the Massacres in Gaza Powell and Market Contact: Arab Resource and Organizing Center
Monday, December 29, 5:00PM Silent Vigil at Feinstein's Office, Montgomery and Market Co-Sponsored by Direct Action to Stop the War; the Middle East Children's Alliance; Queers Undermining Israeli Terrorism; SF Women in Black
Tuesday, December 30, 5:00PM Israeli Consulate, 456 Montgomery St Powell and Market Contact: 415-821-6545 answer@answersf.org
COLORADO
Denver
Tuesday, December 30, 5:00PM Meet on the West side of the Capitol Contact: Rima, 303-829-5848
CONNECTICUT
New Haven
Wednesday, December 31, 12PM Federal Building, 141 Church St (between Chapel and Elm Sts.) Sponsored by Middle East Crisis Committee, ANSWER-CT and other local organizations Contact: 203-606-0319, connecticut@answercoalition.org
DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
Washington, DC
Monday, December 29, 4:30PM Barack Obama Transition Office 451 6th St. NW (1 block from Verizon Center) Contact: 301-523-4197 or email me at zelamine@gmail.com
Tuesday, December 30, 4:30 pm State Department: 22nd St & C St NW Contact: 202-544-3389 x14, dc@answercoalition.org
Friday, January 9, 12:00PM Lafayette Square and march to Upper Senate Park Contact: National Association of Muslim Women, namaw01@gmail.com
FLORIDA
Fort Lauderdale
Tuesday, December 30, 5:00 pm Federal Building: 299 E. Broward Blvd. Contact: 954-707-0155, FtLauderdale@answerfl.org
Ocala
Tuesday, December 30, 12:00 pm Cather
near the Ocala Lockheed facility, located in the SE quadrant of the
county just off Maricamp Road (Rte 464) near Emerald and Oak Sponsored by: Marions for Peace, CFCC students and Iraq Veterans Against the War (IVAW)
Contact: Marions for Peace, Delphine Herbert, MarionsforPeace@gmail.com
Tampa
Tuesday, December 30, 4:30 pm N Dale Mabry Hwy and W Spruce St
GEORGIA
Atlanta
Sunday, December 28, 2:00PM Outside the Israeli Consulate, 1100 Spring St. NW Contact: Emory Advocates for Justice in Palestine, 770-597-0276 or 404-844-3202
Tuesday, December 30, 4:00PM Outside the Israeli Consulate, 1100 Spring St. NW Organizers: Emory Advocate for Justice in Palestine and other local groups Contact details:Saba Khalid, 770-597-0276, skhali3@emory.edu HAWAII
Honolulu
Tuesday, December 30, 4-6PM At the Federal Building (along Ala Moana Blvd.)
Initiated by Friends of Sabeel Hawaii, with support from World Can't Wait-Hawaii, and others.
ILLINOIS
Chicago
Sunday, December 28, 12:00PM-2:00PM Bring
bouquets of flowers to commemorate the memory of the hundreds of
Palestinians in Gaza who have been killed by Israeli bombardments today Water Tower Park 830 N. Michigan (Michigan and Pearson)
Sponsored by (list in formation): American
Friends Service Committee, Jewish Voice for Peace, Arab American Action
Network, Arab Jewish Partnership for Peace and Justice in the Middle
East, American Arab Anti Discrimination-Chicago Chapter, Chicago
Coalition Against War and Racism, Chicago Faith Coalition on Middle
East Policy, Voices for Creative Non-Violence, International Solidarity
Movement-Chicago Chapter, US Palestine Conference Network, Students for
Justice in Palestine (UIC), American Muslims for Palestine, Muslim
American Society (MAS) Freedom Foundation, Mosque Foundation,
Tikkun-Chicago, Wright College Students for Peace and Justice, Fight
Back Newspaper.
Separate event in Chicago: Details to be announced Contact: 773-463-0311, answer@chicagoanswer.net
Friday, January 2, 2009, 3:00PM Tribune Plaza, 435 N Michigan
KENTUCKY
Louisville
Monday, December 29, 4-6PM Broadway and Baxter across from Cave Hill cemetery
STAND WITH GAZA Friday, January 2nd at noon until 1:00pmMarket Square Portland, Maine
Contact: Jamilla El-Shafei email: jamillaelshafei@gmail.com cell 603.969.8426 Contact: Wells Stanley-Mays email: drinkinggourd@hotmail.com phone: 207.774.1110
Moment Square on Friday, January 2nd at noon
MARYLAND
Columbia
Saturday, January 17, 2009, 3:30PM Howard County Central Library (Little Patuxent Pkwy and South Entrance Road)
Contact: Howard County Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation (HCCEIO), Joanne Heisel, joanne_kh@usa.net
MASSACHUSETTS
Boston
Wednesday, December 31, 2:00PM Copley Square Contact: Boston Coalition for Palestinian Rights, info@bcpr.net, (617) 491-2313
Details to be announced Contact: 857-334-5084, boston@answercoalition.org
Brookline
Sunday, December 28, 3PM-5PM Coolidge Corner, Harvard and Beacon Streets
Northampton and Hadley
Monday, December 29, 7:30AM-9:00AM and 4:00PM-5:00PM Coolidge Bridge between Northampton and Hadley Contact: Paki paki43@gmail.com
MICHIGAN
Dearborn
Monday, December 29, 6PM Community Leadership Meeting Lebanese American Heritage Club ,4337 Maple Road Contact: Congress of Arab American Organizations, Osama Siblani / 313.505.4889
Tuesday, December 30, 4PM Human Chain Protest Gathering
at corner of Warren and Chase in Dearborn. Following the protest a
memorial service will be held at Byblos Banquet Hall, 7258 Chase Road
in Dearborn at 5:15 PM. Program will end at 6:30 PM. Contact: Congress of Arab American Organizations, Osama Siblani / 313.505.4889
Kalamazoo
Tuesday, December 30, 4PM Michigan Ave in front of the Federal Buildng
MINNESOTA
Various
Protests at Senator Amy Klobuchar and Congressman Keith Ellison's offices Tuesday December 30th 10 am-closing
No "holding their feet to the fire" but instead hold them accountable.
U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar Office of Senator Klobuchar
Minneapolis 1200 Washington Avenue South, Suite 250 Minneapolis, MN 55415 Main Line: 612-727-5220 Main Fax: 612-727-5223 Toll Free: 1-888-224-9043
Rochester Office 1134 7th Street NW Rochester, MN 55901 Main Line: 507-288-5321 Fax: 507-288-2922
Moorhead Office 121 4th Street South Moorhead, MN 56560 Main Line: 218-287-2219 Fax: 218-287-2930
Iron Range Office Olcott Plaza, Suite 105 820 9th Street North Virginia, MN 55792 Main Line: 218-741-9690 Fax:218-741-3692
Keith Ellison office
Minneapolis office is located at: 2100 Plymouth Ave North Minneapolis, MN 55411 For directions you can call our office, 612-522-1212
MISSOURI
St. Louis
Sunday, December 28, 7PM 3628 Lindell, corner of Grand and Lindell Contact: Colleen Kelly, Instead of War, 314-761-7428
Monday, December 29, 4-6PM Protest at Senator Bond's Office, 7700 Bonhomme Contact: Colleen Kelly, Instead of War, 314-761-7428
NEW HAMPSHIRE
Concord Tuesday, December 30, 3PM In front of the State House Contact: New Hampshire Peace Action, 603-228-0559
NEW JERSEY
New Brunswick Tuesday, December 30, 4-6PM Corner of Albany and George Sts.
NEW MEXICO
Tuesday, December 30, 12-2PM New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science 1801 Mountain Rd, NW (in Old Town) Contact: Called by Stop the War Machine, 505-401-4808, stopthewarmachine@comcast.net
NEW YORK
New York City Sunday, December 28, 2:00-4:00 pm Gather at Rockefeller Center March to the Israeli Consulate: 800 2nd Ave (b/w 42nd and 43rd Sts) Initiated by Al-Awda New York
Monday, December 29, 5:00PM Adalah-NY is organizing two meeting locations for fliering on Monday at 5:00:
The south end of Union Square, near the corner of 14th St and 5th Ave.
The triangular park at 6th Av. & 32nd Street.
We
welcome you to join us and we encourage other organizations to choose
their own flyering locations and then to join the procession.
We
will all meet-up for the procession up 6th Ave at 6:30. We will be
meeting at the triangular park at 6th Av. & 32nd Street. Look for
the Palestinian Flag.
Contact
Monday, December 29, 7:00 pm 55 W 17th St, 5th Fl. Manhattan between 5th & 6th Aves Informational Action Center Tuesday, December 30, 5:00 pm Israeli Consulate: 800 2nd Ave (b/w 42nd and 43rd Sts) Contact: 212-694-8720, nyc@answercoalition.org
Rochester
Tuesday, December 30, 4:00PM-5:00PM Demonstration in front of Federal Building Contact: Mike Connely, 271-2678
OHIO
Cleveland
Monday, December 29, 4:30PM Public Square, across from Tower City
Contact: Middle East Peace Forum, Don Bryant, donmbryant@yahoo.com
Columbus
Sunday December 28th, 5:00 PM Ohio State University - Committee for Justice in Palestine 15th and High St. Columbus, Ohio
Youngstown
Monday, December 29, 5-9PM Vigil 15 Belgrade Ave. Sponsored by: Arab American Community Center of Greater Youngstown
Contact: Arab American Community Center, 330-759-9186 Tuesday, December 30, 1-3PM Demonstration In front of the Thomas D. Lambros Federal Building and U.S. Courthouse, 125 Market St Contact: Arab American Community Center, 330-759-9186
ONTARIO
Sunday, December 28, 2:00 pm Israeli Embassy Consulate: 180 Bloor St. West Initiated by a number of local organizations
OREGON
Eugene
Monday, December 29, 2-5PM Al-Nakba
Awareness Project and Veterans for Peace will erect signage and provide
detailed handout materials along the high-traffic Ferry Street Bridge
approach parkway.
Portland
Tuesday December 30, 2008 Gather at 4:30 and Rally 5:00 pm Where: Federal Building, Downtown Portland, SW 3rd & Madison Organized by: Americans United for Palestinian Human Rights, Portland Peaceful Response Coalition, and others.
Contact: (503) 344-5078
Philadelphia Monday, December 29, 4:30PM Demonstration at Israeli Consulate, 1880 JFK Blvd Contact: Sue Rouda, 215-724-1618, sue.rouda@gmail.com
Tuesday, December 30, 4:30PM Demonstration at Israeli Consulate, 1880 JFK Blvd Contact: Sue Rouda, 215-724-1618, sue.rouda@gmail.com
RHODE ISLAND
Providence
Sunday, December 28, 12:00-2:00PM Federal Building Contact: Martha Yager, AFSC-SENE, 401-521-3584 or MYager@afsc.org
Wednesday, December 31, 6-7PM Burnside Park (opposite Kennedy Plaza) Contact: Martha Yager, AFSC-SENE, 401-521-3584 or MYager@afsc.org
SOUTH CAROLINA
Columbia
Wednesday, December 31, 5-6PM In front of the State Capitol Building Gervais and Main St. Contact: Women in Black, 803-446-2772 TEXAS
Austin
Monday, December 29, 5PM-7PM In front of the State Capitol, 11th and Congress Contact: Haithem El-Zabri, cell. (512) 772-1948, e-mail haithemelzabri@yahoo.com
Dallas
Tuesday, December 30, 2008, 12:00PM-3:00PM In front of JFK Memorial on the Grassy Knoll
Friday, January 2, 2009, 3:30PM Dallas Forth Worth Protest, Earl Cabell Federal Building, 1100 Commerce St Contact: Suha Suleiman, drsuha@tm.blackberry.net
Houston
Sunday, December 28, 2008, 4-6PM Westheimer and Post Oak (in front of the Starbucks across the Galleria) Contact: Houston Palestinian Community
Monday, December 29, 2008, 4-6PM Israeli Consulate (Wesleyan near US 59) Contact: Palestinian American Bridge, Mohamed Abu-Hussein, 713-240-9766
Tuesday, December 30, 2008, 4-5:30PM Gather at Mandell Bridge (Mandell St at Highway 59) Contact: rwcsr1@yahoo.com
San Antonio
Tuesday, December 30, 6-7PM Candle Light Silent Prayer Vigil for Peace Around the Peace Pole in front of the Brackenridge Village, University of the Incarnate Word, enter at 4301 Broadway
You are invited to bring candles. VERMONT Burlington
Tuesday, December 30, 4:15PM Main St. Landing, Burlington 1 Main St.; corner of Main & Battery Sts.)
MEET in Burlington at Main Street Landing at 4:15 to march to Representative Welch's, Senator Leahy's, and to Senator Bernie Sander's offices, to arrive at the top of Church St. at 5pm to stand in solidarity with the vigil opposing further war profiteering and war crimes--the US Occupation of Iraq.
This march is endorsed by Vermonters for a Just Peace in Palestine/Israel (VTJP), Peace and Justice Center, and the International Socialist Organization (ISO).
TO ENDORSE THIS ACTION OR FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT: hilarymartin@riseup.net or gypsy7@riseup.net
Montpellier Tuesday, December 30, 4:30PM Vigil in front of City Hall on Main St Contact: Debra, 802-476-3154, debra@vtlink.net
WASHINGTON
Seattle Saturday, January 3, 12:00 noon - 2:00 pm Westlake Park: 4th and Pine Initiated by Voices of Palestine Contact: general@voicesofpalestine.org
Tacoma Tuesday, December 30, 2008, 5:00pm In front of the Courthouse at Pacific Ave and 19th St
ARIZONA
Phoenix, AZ Tuesday, December 30 4:30 PM Gather at Thomas Road and Central Light Rail Station Sponsored by CODEPINK Phoenix and The End The War Coalition
CALIFORNIA
Albion, CA Monday, December 29 12 noon Jct Rte 1 & Albion Ridge Road Contact: 707-472-6486, hughmurray98@yahoo.com
Anaheim, CA (Orange County) Sunday, December 28 2:00 pm 512 S. Brookhurst St. (between Orange Ave. & Broadway) Initiated by a coalition with a large number of groups
Fort Bragg, CA Monday, December 29 12 noon Rte 1 at Fort Bragg Town Hall Rally Contact: 707-937-4352, bc@albionnation.org
Los Angeles, CA Tuesday, December 30 4:30 pm Israeli Consulate: 6380 Wilshire Blvd. Contact: 213-251-1025, answerla@answerla.org
Sacramento, CA Tuesday, December 30 4:00-6:00 pm Gather at 16th and J Sponsored
by Sacramento Peace Action; Free Palestine Alliance; the National
Council of Arab Americans, & Al-Awda, the Palestine Right of Return
Coalition Contact: 916-448-7157
San Francisco, CA Tuesday, December 30 5:00 pm Israeli Consulate:456 Montgomery St. Contact: 415-821-6545, answer@answersf.org * * * * * Monday, December 29 5:00 pm Vigil at Sen. Dianne Feinstein's Office: Montgomery and Market Co-Sponsored by a number of local organizations
Santa Rosa, CA Tuesday, December 30 5:30 pm Courthouse Square: Santa Rosa Avenue downtown Sponsored by the Board of the Peace and Justice Center of Sonoma County Contact: cognizant2@hotmail.com
COLORADO
Colorado Springs, CO Tuesday, December 30 4:30-5:30 pm Meet downtown at Acacia Park, corner of Nevada Ave and Bijou St Sponsored by a PROTEST COLORADO antiwar coalition. Contact: 719.460.2836, info@protestcolorado.org CONNECTICUT
New Haven, CT Wednesday, December 31 12 noon Federal Building: 141 Church St. (between Chapel and Elm St) Sponsored by Middle East Crisis Committee, ANSWER-CT and other local organizations Contact: 203-606-0319, connecticut@answercoalition.org * * * * * Saturday, December 27 1:00 pm Federal Building: 141 Church St. (between Chapel and Elm St) Initiated by local organizations
DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
Washington, D.C. Tuesday, December 30 4:30 pm State Department: 22nd St & C St NW Contact: 202-544-3389 x14, dc@answercoalition.org
FLORIDA
Fort Lauderdale, FL Tuesday, December 30 5:00 pm Federal Building: 299 E. Broward Blvd. Contact: 954-707-0155, FtLauderdale@answerfl.org
Ocala, FL Tuesday, December 30 12 noon Gather
near the Ocala Lockheed facility, located in the southeast quadrant of
the county just off Maricamp Road (route 464) near Emerald and Oak Sponsored by Marions for Peace, CFCC students and Iraqi veterans against the war
Tampa, FL Tuesday, December 30 4:30 pm N Dale Mabry Hwy and W Spruce St. Contact: 813-785-3179
HAWAII
Honolulu, HI Tuesday, December 30 4:00-6:00 pm Prince Kuhio Federal Building: 300 Ala Moana Blvd. (near the Ewa end of the building) Sponsored by Friends of Sabeel--Hawaii
ILLINOIS
Chicago, IL Sunday, December 28 12:00 noon to 2:00 pm Water Tower Park: 830 N. Michigan Ave. Initiated by a number of local organizations Get involved with ANSWER in Chicago: 773-463-0311, answer@chicagoanswer.net
LOUISIANA
New Orleans, LA Monday, December 29 12 noon - 2:00 pm Corner of Canal Street and Convention Center Blvd, at the base of Canal street, across from Harrah's Casino Sponsored
by the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee of New Orleans, New
Orleans Palestine Solidarity, and many other organizations and
individuals
MASSACHUSETTS
Boston, MA Tuesday, December 30 5:00 pm Consulate General of Israel: 20 Park Plaza (Green Line to Arlington Stop) Contact: 857-334-5084, boston@answercoalition.org * * * * * Wednesday, December 31 2:00PM Copley Square Sponsored by the Boston Coalition for Palestinian Rights Contact: info@bcpr.net, (617) 491-2313 * * * * * Monday, December 29 4:00-7:00 pm Stand
in solidarity at Harvard Sq (in front of Holyoke Center), Watertown Sq,
Roxbury Crossing, Coolidge Corner, Arlington Center, or go out with
friends and signs at busy intersections in your community Northampton / Hadley, MA Monday, December 29 7:30-9:00 am AND 4:00-5:00 pm Coolidge Bridge (Hadley/Northampton) Northampton, MA Saturday, January 3 12 noon Courthouse on Main Street
MICHIGAN
Ann Arbor, MI Tuesday, December 30 12 noon - 1:00 pm Federal Building: Liberty and Fifth Ave. Sponsored by the Ann Arbor Coalition Against the War
Dearborn, MI Tuesday, December 30 4:00 pm Gathering at corner of Warren and Chase in Dearborn Memorial service at Byblos Banquet Hall, 7258 Chase Road in Dearborn, 5:15-6:30 pm Sponsored by the Congress of Arab American Organizations (CAAO)
Kalamazoo, MI Tuesday, December 30 4:00 pm Federal Building: Michigan Avenue and Park Avenue Sponsored by Kalamazoo Nonviolent Opponents of War (KNOW)
MINNESOTA
Minneapolis, MN Tuesday, December 30 10:00 am - 5:00 pm, Press Conference at 1:00 pm 1) Office of Senator Amy Klobuchar: 1200 Washington Avenue South (main event) 2) Office of Congressperson Keith Ellison: 2100 Plymouth Ave North (presence) Contact: 612-327-6902, ollamhfaery@earthlink.net Sponsored and Endorsed by Women Against Military Madness, Coalition For Palestinian Rights
NEW JERSEY
New Brunswick, NJ Tuesday, December 30 4:00-6:00 pm Gather at corner of Albany and George Streets NEW MEXICO
Albuquerque, NM Tuesday, December 30 12 noon - 2:00 pm New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science: 1801 Mountain Rd, NW (in Old Town) Called by Stop the War Machine Contact: 505-401-4808, stopthewarmachine@comcast.net * * * * * Tuesday, December 30 5:00 pm Pete V. Domenici Federal Courthouse: 333 Lomas Blvd. NW Sponsored by a coalition of many groups, led by the Middle East Peace & Justice Alliance Contact: 505-842-0535
NEW YORK
New York City, NY Tuesday, December 30 5:00 pm Israeli Consulate: 800 2nd Ave (b/w 42nd and 43rd Sts) Contact: 212-694-8720, nyc@answercoalition.org * * * * * Sunday, December 28 2:00-4:00 pm Gather at Rockefeller Center: 50th St. and 5th Ave. March to the Israeli Consulate: 800 2nd Ave (b/w 42nd and 43rd Sts) Initiated by Al-Awda New York
Rochester, NY Tuesday, December 30 4:00-5:00 pm Federal Building Contact: peaceactiontaskforce@lists.riseup.net, 585-271-2678 OHIO
Cincinnati, OH Tuesday, December 30 5:00 pm Clifton Ave & Martin Luther King Dr W Contact: 513-484-9116
Cleveland, OH Monday, December 29 4:30-6:00 pm Public Square Downtown
Columbus, OH Sunday, December 28 5:00 pm Gather at 15th and High St. Sponsored by the Ohio State University - Committee for Justice in Palestine
Youngstown, OH Vigil Monday, December 29 5:00-9:00pm Arab American Community Center: 15 Belgrade Ave, Youngstown, OH 44505 (off Belmont between Gypsy & Colonial) Sponsored by the Arab American Community Center of Greater Youngstown * * * * * Demonstration Tuesday, December 30 1:00-3:00pm Thomas D. Lambros Federal Bldg & U.S. Courthouse: 125 Market Street, Youngstown, OH 44503 Sponsored by the Arab American Community Center of Greater Youngstown
OREGON
Portland, OR Tuesday December 30 Gather at 4:30, Rally at 5:00 pm Federal Building, Downtown Portland, SW 3rd & Madison Organized by: Americans United for Palestinian Human Rights, Portland Peaceful Response Coalition, and others
PENNSYLVANIA
Philadelphia, PA Tuesday, December 30 3:30 pm City Hall at 15th and locust * * * * * Monday, December 29 4:30 pm Israeli Consulate: 1880 JFK Blvd. Contact: 215-724-1618, phillyiac@action-mail.org Sponsored by International Action Center
SOUTH CAROLINA
Columbia, SC Wednesday, December 31 5:00 pm State Capitol: Gervais and Main Streets Sponsored
by Columbia Women in Black, Carolina Peace Resource Center, Muslim
Student Association at the University of South Carolina
SOUTH DAKOTA
Sioux Falls, SD Tuesday, December 30 10:00-11:00 am Federal Building: 12th & Phillips Contact: sodak@answercoalition.org
TEXAS
Austin, TX Monday, December 29 5:00 pm State Capitol: 11th & Congress Contact: contact@palestineonlinestore.com Initiated by a number of local organizations
Dallas, TX Tuesday December 30 12:00 noon - 3:00 pm Grassy Knoll near Kennedy Museum, Elm St. Contact: Raed Sbeit 214-798-7624, muslim1976@yahoo.com OR Obaida Hitto 214-274-1687, obaida.hitto@hotmail.com
Houston, TX Tuesday, December 30 4:00-5:30 pm Gather at Mandell Bridge (Mandell St. at Hwy. 59) Contact: 713-771-9439, rwcsr1@yahoo.com
WASHINGTON
Seattle, WA Tuesday, December 30 4:00 pm Federal Building: 915 2nd Ave Initiated by Voices of Palestine Contact: general@voicesofpalestine.org * * * * * Saturday, January 3 12:00 noon - 2:00 pm Westlake Park: 4th and Pine Initiated by Voices of Palestine Contact: general@voicesofpalestine.org
Tacoma, WA Tuesday, December 30 5:00 pm Federal Courthouse: 1717 Pacific Ave. (at 19th St.) Protesters are asked to bring signs, candles, and flashlights
The National Lawyers Guild (NLG) works to promote human rights and the rights of ecosystems over property interests. It was founded in 1937 as the first national, racially-integrated bar association in the U.S.
(212) 679-5100Munitions experts and The New York Times say a US missile designed to inflict maximum casualties was used in a February bombing that killed 21 people, including at least five children.
New information published Friday by the New York Times further suggests that the US military may have lied when it tried to pin the blame for a February airstrike that killed 21 people in Iran on the Iranian government, with evidence indicating that the US carried out the attack with a new missile designed to inflict maximum casualties.
While much of the world knows about the February 28 massacre of around 175 children and staff at the Shajareh Tayyebeh girls’ elementary school in Minab—and about how President Donald Trump initially blamed Iran for the slaughter—the strike that hit a sports hall and playground in Lamerd on the same day, the first day of the war, received far less media coverage.
Munitions experts and the Times concluded that US-made Precision Strike Missiles, or PrSMs—pronounced "prism"—struck the residential area of the southern Iranian city. Developed by Lockheed Martin, PrSMs are airburst weapons, exploding above their targets and blasting 180,000 lethal tungsten pellets in every direction. Video footage of the Lamerd strike shows multiple airbursts.
Pete Hegseth's Defense Dept appears to be caught in a lie.It involves deaths of 21 people (including at least 5 children), injuring 110 in Lamerd, Iran with sports hall and school.By a U.S. missile (PrSM) never before used in combat.NYT sources include: 3 US officials!1/
[image or embed]
— Ryan Goodman (@rgoodlaw.bsky.social) April 10, 2026 at 5:48 PM
The Times verified the identities of 21 people killed in the strike. At least five victims were children, the youngest of them just 2 years old. Helma Ahmadizadeh, 10, and Elham Zaeri, 11, were attending volleyball practice at the sports hall when it was bombed. Helma survived the strike with no visible injuries. However, she told her coach that she felt something enter her body. A medical examination at a local hospital revealed a small object in her body. She subsequently died.
"A young boy, Ilia Khatami, was killed alongside his coach, Mahmoud Najaf," the newspaper said. "The Times confirmed their deaths, and the death of a second boy, Abdul Mosavar Rahmani, who was from Afghanistan."
The 2-year-old, Avina Barzegar, was mortally wounded by a small object while she was playing outside her home. Video posted on Telegram shows her being treated in a local hospital before she died.
Local officials said 100 other people were injured in the attack.
Pentagon officials previously denied US responsibility for the attack following the March 29 publication of a Times investigation that used video analysis to identify PrSMs as the missiles used in the strike. US Central Command (CENTCOM) spokesperson Capt. Tim Hawkins issued a statement on March 31 calling reports that the US carried out the attack "false" and suggesting that weapon used in the strike was an Iranian Hoveyzeh cruise missile.
The Times' latest analysis is "based on new video footage of detonations, new photo evidence of the damage, a missile-trajectory assessment, and the perspectives of multiple experts, including three US government officials."
Findings include distinctive damage patterns consistent with tungsten pellet dispersion from a PrSM airburst, the discovery of a third detonation site consistent with a PrSM, a strike trajectory indicating the missile was launched from where US forces are based, and the sports hall's proximity to an Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps base. The Minab girls' school is also located very close to an IRGC base.
Critically, Iran does not have any missiles in its arsenal that function in a similar manner to PrSMs.
“The problem is that CENTCOM chose as an alternative a very identifiable missile,” Amaël Kotlarski, who leads the weapons team at the defense intelligence firm Janes, told the Times. "And the Hoveyzeh’s distinct features aren’t seen in the video."
Shahryar Pasandideh, another military analyst consulted by the Times, said "there is no public information to suggest that Iranian cruise missiles, including the Hoveyzeh, are equipped with an airburst fuse, let alone an airburst fuse and pre-formed tungsten pellets."
After the Minab massacre, Trump claimed that Iran had somehow acquired a US Tomahawk missile and used it to blow up the school.
An earlier investigation by the BBC Verify also concluded that the Lamerd strike was carried out using US PrSM missiles.
VIDEO | According to a report from BBC Verify, video evidence and expert assessment suggest a US Precision Strike Missile (PrSM) was likely involved in an attack on a sports hall in Lamerd, southwestern Iran on 28 February. The attack killed at least 21 people, including… pic.twitter.com/alZ25dVMl6
— The Cradle (@TheCradleMedia) March 29, 2026
More than 3,000 people have been killed over 42 days of US and Israeli strikes on Iran, according to medical officials there. This figure reportedly includes over 1,300 civilians, hundreds of whom are women and children.
"Expect to see more of this as people struggle to survive under our decaying capitalist system," warned one observer.
The 29-year-old employee accused of burning down a paper products warehouse in southern California was allegedly furious over pay and working conditions at the facility and compared himself Luigi Mangione, the anti-capitalist folk hero to many Americans who allegedly assassinated a health insurance CEO.
Chamel Abdulkarim is facing federal and state felony charges in connection with a blaze that tore through the 1.2 million square-foot Kimberly-Clark warehouse in Ontario, San Bernardino County, shortly after 12:30 am on Tuesday. The Los Angeles Times reported that 20 other people were working in the facility, which is roughly the size of 11 city blocks, at the time. There are no reports of any injuries.
According to the US Department of Justice (DOJ), Abdulkarim uploaded videos to Facebook showing him setting fires in the warehouse and saying, “If you’re not going to pay us enough to fucking live or afford to live, at least pay us enough not to do this shit."
Abdulkarim allegedly said in texts and phone calls that he cost Kimberly-Clark "billions," adding, "All you had to do was pay us enough to live."
"All you had to do was pay us enough to live".On April 7, 2026, a 29-year-old worker named Chamel Abdulkarim was arrested on arson-related charges after a massive, six-alarm fire destroyed a 1.2-million-square-foot Kimberly-Clark warehouse in Ontario, California.
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— Raider (@iwillnotbesilenced.bsky.social) April 8, 2026 at 6:33 PM
The DOJ said the blaze caused "approximately $500 million in damage."
Prosecutors said that after starting the fires, Abdulkarim called a friend and said that “a lot of people are going to understand” what he did, just like when “Luigi popped that mutherfucker,” a reference to Mangione's alleged murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson in New York in 2024.
Shareholders of Kimberly-Clark—which makes products including Kleenex tissues, Scott and Cottonelle toilet paper, Huggies diapers, and Kotex feminine care products—enjoyed profits topping $2.0 billion last year. Company chairman and CEO Michael Hsu made about $15.3 in compensation. That's more than 300 times as much as the average Kimberly-Clark employee earned, according to the AFL-CIO.
Critics of capitalism have long argued that the yawning chasm between rich and poor in the United States is a recipe for disaster that could far exceed individual acts of resistance, if the crisis is not soon addressed. However, under President Donald Trump and the Republican-controlled Congress, wealth inequality continues to increase at what many experts argue is an unsustainable rate.
Many leftists took to social media to praise the blaze, with some, like the Rev. Oliver Dean Snow of Mothman Ministries, comparing the arson attack to historical acts of radical resistance like the 1884 New Straitsville Mine Fire, in which striking union miners in Ohio pushed burning coal cars deep into a mine, causing an underground inferno that not only permanently shut down operations, but is believed to still be burning to this day, 141 years later.
Idk why Chamel Abdulkarim isn’t being hailed the same way Luigi Mangione was. Especially by Appalachians. Bro did something based and literally hurt NO ONE. Only thing that got hurt was same toilet paper. Some of yalls ancestors would be ashamed of you.ohiomemory.ohiohistory.org/archives/216
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— Preacher from the Black Lagoon (@revpoppop.bsky.social) April 10, 2026 at 12:46 PM
"Expect to see more of this as people struggle to survive under our decaying capitalist system," said one popular socialist account on X.
“He needs to withdrawal from the governor’s race and resign from Congress, immediately,” said one of Swalwell's Democratic opponents.
Calls for Democratic Congressman Eric Swalwell to drop out of the California gubernatorial race mounted Saturday as prominent supporters rescinded their endorsements and staffers fled his imploding campaign after more—and more serious—sexual misconduct allegations against him emerged.
Multiple women had already accused Swalwell, 45, of unwanted touching and kissing, and sending them unsolicited explicit images and messages. On Friday, the San Francisco Chronicle reported that a woman who had worked for the Swalwell said he sexually assault her twice while she was too intoxicated to consent. The woman's identity was concealed.
Hours later, CNN aired a report in which a former Swalwell staffer—who is apparently the same woman interviewed by the Chronicle—said the East Bay and Central Valley congressman raped her while she was drunk, leaving her bruised and bleeding. CNN also interviewed three other women who alleged various types of sexual misconduct they said was committed by Swalwell.
Swalwell categorically denied the claims, saying that “these allegations are false and come on the eve of an election against the frontrunner for governor."
Hear it directly from me. These allegations are flat false. And I will fight them. pic.twitter.com/bQSlCquD1U
— Rep. Eric Swalwell (@RepSwalwell) April 11, 2026
"For nearly 20 years, I have served the public—as a prosecutor and a congressman—and have always protected women," he added. "I will defend myself with the facts and where necessary bring legal action. My focus in the coming days is to be with my wife and children and defend our decades of service against these lies.”
Swalwell has claimed that Cheyenne Hunt—the activist and social media influencer who published the initial allegations against him earlier this week—has academic and political connections with former Congresswoman Katie Porter (D-Calif.), one of his rivals in the crowded gubernatorial race.
Porter campaign spokesperson Peter Opitz countered that Hunt and Porter "don't have a relationship to speak of," and that "in fact, Katie endorsed a different candidate when [Hunt] was running in a neighboring district."
Swalwell campaign staff and supporters are fleeing fast.
US Sens. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), and Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.); House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY); and Reps. Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), Ted Lieu (D-Calif.), Nanette Barragán (D-Calif.), Mike Thompson (D-Calif.), Doris Matsui (D-Calif.), and Jimmy Gomez (D-Calif.) are among the prominent erstwhile endorsers of Swalwell calling on him to quit.
“What is described is indefensible,” Gallego—who initially defended his friend Swalwell—said in a statement Friday. “Women who come forward with accounts like this deserve to be heard with respect, not questioned or dismissed. I regret having come to his defense on social media prior to knowing all the information. I am equally as shocked and upset about what has transpired.”
Groups ranging from the California Federation of Labor to the California Police Chiefs Association have rescinded their endorsements of Swalwell.
The California Federation of Labor Unions withdraws its endorsement of Rep. Eric Swalwell in the California Governor's race.
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— California Federation of Labor Unions (@californialabor.bsky.social) April 11, 2026 at 9:18 AM
“The allegations are incredibly disturbing and unacceptable against Rep. Swalwell. We are immediately suspending our support,” said California Teachers Association president David Goldberg. “Our elected board will be meeting as soon as possible to follow our union’s democratic process to determine next steps.”
Porter, billionaire Tom Steyer, former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan, former state Comptroller Betty Yee, and State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond are among the gubernatorial candidates urging Swalwell to withdraw from the race—and, in some cases, from Congress.
“I want to acknowledge the courage of the women who have come forward and, as I stand here, call on Congressman Eric Swalwell to take responsibility for your actions,” Thurmond said during a press conference Friday. “I’m calling on you to resign from Congress and to step away from this race for governor.”
Porter said: “The allegations against Congressman Swalwell are horrifying. I’m thinking of the courageous women who have come forward to share their stories. We believe you and we stand with you.”
Yee called the allegations against Swalwell "sickening."
"He needs to withdrawal from the governor’s race and resign from Congress, immediately," she added. "Let the women speak.”
Republican gubernatorial candidate Steve Hilton, a supporter of President Donald Trump—who was found civilly liable for sexually abusing and defaming journalist E. Jean Carroll and who is accused of rape or other sex offenses against dozens of women and a child—also called on Swalwell to exit the race.
Other elected officials in California and beyond are urging Swalwell to quit the governor's race and Congress.
The accusations against Eric Swalwell are serious and deeply disturbing. There is no place for sexual assault in public life or anywhere else. He should undertake a swift, public and independent investigation into these allegations. He should resign from Congress and end his campaign for governor.
— Nithya Raman (@nithyaforthecity.bsky.social) April 10, 2026 at 10:03 PM
"His conduct is incompatible with elected office," said Democratic Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass. "The women who came forward deserve to be heard and deserve justice."
Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.) said, "Rep. Swalwell should immediately withdraw from the governor’s race and there must be a quick and thorough investigation."
California's so-called "jungle primary"—in which the two top performing candidates advance to the general election, regardless of party—is set for June 2.