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In demonstrations held on Qods (Jerusalem) Day on July 1, 2016 in various cities across the U.S. and Canada, activists drew a parallel between Palestinian rights and racial tensions in the U.S. Speaking in Chicago, Hatem Abdayyeh, a member of the U.S. Palestinian Community Network, called to liberate "all of Palestine," including Haifa and Tel Aviv. Speaking in Times Square, New York, a "Black Lives Matter" activist drew a parallel between Gaza and Harlem, saying that resistance was justified, whether in Palestine, Ferguson, Missouri, or NYC, and that "the liberation of Palestine is tied to the liberation of black people right here in the United States." Speaking in Toronto, Canada, London-based Indian Shiite cleric Maulana Abbas Abedi said that "Zionism is the mother of ISIS." Quds Day is an annual Iranian-led event, held on the last Friday of the month of Ramadhan. It was declared by Ayatollah Khomeini in 1979.
Chicago
Hatem Abudayyeh, U.S. Palestinian Community Network: "Of course we believe in a free Jerusalem, a free Al-Quds, we believe that it's the capital, the indivisible capital, of the Palestinian nation, but we don't only think about Al-Quds as that indivisible capital of our nation because we think about Haifa and Jaffa and all the cities inside of what is today called Israel, because that is Palestine too, an indivisible nation of Palestine from the river to the sea that will be free."
Activist in crowd: "From the river to the sea -"
Crowd: "Palestine will be free!"
Activist in crowd: "From the river to the sea -"
Hatem Abudayyeh and crowd: "Palestine will be free!
Activist in crowd: "From the river to the sea -"
Hatem Abudayyeh and crowd: "Palestine will be free!"
[...]
Times Square, New York City
Activist: "When human rights are under attack, what do you do?"
Crowd: "Stand up, fight back!"
Activist: "What do you do?"
Crowd: "Stand up, fight back!"
Activist: "What do you do?"
Crowd: "Stand up, fight back!"
Activist: "When Palestine is under attack, what do you do?"
Crowd: "Stand up, fight back!"
Activist: "What do you do?"
Crowd: "Stand up, fight back!"
Activist: "What do you do?"
Crowd: "Stand up, fight back!"
Activist: "When black lives are under attack, what do you do?"
Crowd: "Stand up, fight back!"
Activist: "When brown lives are under attack, what do you do?"
Crowd: "Stand up, fight back!"
Activist: "When Muslim lives are under attack, what do you do?"
Crowd: "Stand up, fight back!"
Activist: "When Palestine is under attack, what do you do?"
Crowd: "Stand up, fight back!"
Activist: "Stand up!"
Crowd: "Fight back!"
Activist: "Stand up!"
Crowd: "Fight back!"
Activist: "Stand up!"
Crowd: "Fight back!"
Activist: "Stand up!"
Crowd: "Fight back!"
Activist: "We bring to the stage our brother Mike from Black Lives Matter. As I said, the cause of Palestine is the cause of our people and the cause of human rights is the call of all of us."
[...]
Mike: "So when you say that Gaza is an open-air prison, people in Harlem know what you're talking about. Black people in Harlem know exactly what you're talking about."
[...]
Mike: "So when you say that resistance is justified from Palestine to Ferguson to right here in NYC, Palestine, we feel you, and we want the chance to be known when we march in the streets, when we say 'NYPD IDF, occupiers bringing death.' NYPD IDF - "
Mike and crowd: "Occupiers bringing death! "NYPD IDF, occupiers bringing death! NYPD IDF, occupiers bringing death! NYPD IDF, occupiers bringing death!"
[...]
Mike: "Black Lives Matter is in solidarity with the Palestinian movement because the liberation of Palestine is tied to the liberation of black people right here in the United States. NYPD IDF - "
Crowd: "Occupiers bringing death!"
Activist: "NYPD IDF - "
Crowd: "Occupiers bringing death!"
[...]
Nadeen Qaswani, Students for Justice in Palestine: "We don't believe that Palestinians should just get to live freely in the west bank in Gaza, they should be able to live freely in all of Palestine because every inch of Israel was built on stolen Palestinian land! They don't just not have a right to the West Bank and Gaza, they don't have a right to the land that they're built on. They don't have a right to Haifa, they don't have a right to Tel Aviv, they don't have a right to Jaffa, these are indigenous Palestinian villages.
"Over 500 villages and 800,000 Palestinians had to be kicked out, had to be depopulated, to make way for Israel, so I don't support a two-state solution. I support a country where, yes, people with different religions, ethnicities, races, backgrounds can live side by side, but that country has to be Palestine. That country has to be for the Palestinian people, because it was stolen from them, and because there are millions of them around the world waiting to go back to their homeland. And they're going to go back to what's in '48, not just what Israel gave them a piece of. We don't want two states - "
Crowd: "We don't want two states /We want '48"
Nadeen Qaswani: "We don't want two states - "
Crowd: "We don't want two states/ We want '48!"
Nadeen Qaswani: "We don't - Repeat after me, repeat after me, guys. We don't want two states - "
Crowd: "We don't want two states - "
Nadeen Qaswani: "We want '48!"
Crowd: "We want '48!"
[...]
Toronto
Crowd: "From Iraq to Palestine, occupation is a crime! From Iraq to Palestine, occupation is a crime! From Iraq to Palestine, occupation is a crime! USA you decide, justice or genocide! USA you decide, justice or genocide!"
Ali Mallah, Canadian Arab Federation: "People who are oppressed, who are occupied, again have the right to resist their occupation by any means necessary."
Crowd: "Yeah!"
Ali Mallah: "If anyone tells you something else, tell them: 'You are a liar.' In the United States, if somebody made a mistake, and walked into somebody's home, he would be shot."
Crowd: "Yeah!"
Ali Mallah: "Right? Here in Canada, if someone attacks us, we will attack them and shoot them."
Maulana Abbas Abedi, London-based Indian Shi'ite cleric: "Many people - all people who are free - believe that Zionism is the mother of terrorism. Zionism is the mother of extremism. Zionism is the mother of oppression across the world. Zionism is the mother of the Saudi royal family. Zionism is the father of the Saudi royal family. Zionism is the mother of ISIS. Don't say 'Islamic State.' Say 'Israeli State in Iraq and the Levant.'"
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