Thousands of people marched in US cities from Washington to Los Angeles on Saturday demanding an immediate ceasefire as the war in Gaza approaches a year, a protest in which one man attempted self-immolation.
The marches were part of a worldwide day of action against the devastating war, which has recently seen Israel intensify its military operations in Lebanon.
The war began on October 7 when the Palestinian armed group Hamas attacked Israel, resulting in the deaths of 1,205 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on Israeli official figures, which also includes hostages killed in captivity. Were included.
Israel’s military campaign in the Gaza Strip has killed more than 41,825 Palestinians, the majority of them civilians, according to figures provided by the health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza. The United Nations has considered the figures reliable.
In Washington, more than a thousand angry protesters demonstrated outside the White House, many of whom demanded an end to US military and other aid to its strategic ally, Israel.
“The US government has really shown which side of history it is on,” Zaid Khatib, an organizer with the Palestinian youth movement, told AFP.
“The US government has perpetrated and co-signed the worst atrocities we have seen this century.”
Protesters waved Palestinian and Lebanese flags, with many carrying signs and chanting in unison to demonstrate solidarity with the Palestinian cause.
About two hours into the protest, a man came to the protest site and attempted to set himself on fire, witnessed by AFP journalists.
A journalist set himself on fire outside the White House to protest media lies about Gaza General Day. pic.twitter.com/duotbSdjOj
– Halima Khan (@khanhalima18) 6 October 2024
He succeeded in burning his left hand, before bystanders and police ran to his aid, pouring water on him and extinguishing the flames using his keffiyeh, the traditional Palestinian scarf.
“I am a journalist and we ignore it, we spread misinformation,” he shouted, amid a scream of pain as the fire on his arm went out.
Police said the man was being treated for “non-life-threatening injuries.”
‘ethnic cleansing’
In New York, thousands of people marched in the city’s famous Times Square area, some holding photos of people killed in Israel’s military offensive in Gaza that left much of the area in ruins.
Among the marchers was Cornel West, a prominent rights activist and an independent candidate running in the US presidential election.
“I have come here to show my eternal solidarity with the people who are going through a horrific massacre,” he told AFP. “Dealing with ethnic cleansing is getting worse, it’s been a full year now. You know, we have to keep fighting.”
The United States is one of Israel’s closest allies, providing billions of dollars in military aid – a topic on which protesters in both cities focused.
New York resident Daniel Perez said, “As an American, we are tired of spending our tax money in Israel to bomb children in Palestine and then in Lebanon.”
Protesters also took to the streets in Los Angeles, many holding signs demanding an end to the “genocide” in Gaza.
In Washington, protesters’ chants for “justice” and “peace” echoed off city office buildings, the crowd energized by a mixture of righteous anger and raucous solidarity.
Laila, an American of Palestinian and Lebanese descent, told AFP she had become disillusioned with her country’s leaders over the past year – to the point where she was unlikely to vote in November.
“It all seems disgusting to me now,” she said. “it’s all lies.”
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
