Berkeley, California

April 9, 2004 - Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) sponsored a rally at the University of California-Berkeley on April 9th in remembrance of the zionist massacre at Deir Yassin in 1948 and to demand that the University of California (UC) divest from Israel. Many students supporting a free Palestine gathered to denounce the UC's funding of the u$/Israeli war against Palestine. There was also a strong zionist presence at the rally but despite the many Israeli flags and zionist propaganda, the supporters of Palestine made their message clear: free Palestine. Many flyers and placards expressed anti-u$ imperialism and antiapartheid messages. SJP brought a life-size wall reading, "Stop u$ Aid to Israel's Apartheid Wall." RAIL comrades distributed flyers detailing the UC's investments in Israel, which we've estimated at somewhere between $1.4 and $6.2 billion, and collected signatures for MIM's "Divest from Israel!" petition. (1)

Speakers included Israelis, Palestinians, Latinas, Africans and Jews. While they all spoke out against the UC support of Israel and the Palestinian oppression, there was also an underlying message that u$ imperialism must end. The showing of solidarity with the Palestinians' struggle was immense with parallels between the Palestinian oppression and u$/Israeli imperialism being drawn to such places as Azania and Columbia. In spite of the significant zionist presence, speakers also made it clear that they were not anti-Semitic as the zionists purport in their propaganda. One Palestinian speaker reminded everyone that she speaks a Semitic language and is from a Semitic region of the world--she can't be anti-Semitic. One speaker from the UC Jewish student group, Tzedek, also spoke out in solidarity with Palestine, pointing out that while Tzedek and SJP don't agree on all points, they stand with SJP in recognition that peace cannot exist until occupation ends.

One Palestinian student brought second-hand accounts from Jerusalem from where his aunt had sent him video footage she shot of Israeli terrorist attacks on the wimmin's Friday prayer session in the city. The attack included an explosion that brought everyone outside and subsequent gunfire by Israeli soldiers. The excuse for the attack was that kids were throwing rocks at the soldiers. But the video shows the kids, who the speaker proposes were chosen as Palestinian-looking tools, walk right thru the soldiers and wave at them. This report of using props to justify attacks on the people just puts one more hole in the argument of the zionists that they are seeking peace and act only in self-defense.

Many of the zionists in attendance were in full fascist form, sporting Israeli Defense Forces clothing and Israeli flags or wearing Palestinian hattas and plastic explosives taped to their chests screaming "Allah akbar!" Fliers included a juxtaposition of a klansman and a Palestinian, a futile attempt by the european settlers to play the victim. The similarity between the amerikan settlers' KKK and israeli settler militias claiming defense of their god-given "home"land is striking.

Other zionists wore shirts saying "zionist for peace." One group, www.standwithuscampus.com, took the moderate approach by calling for Palestinians to address the peace negotiations rather than respond with Intifada. This flier claims that "Divesting from Israel is dishonest, hypocritical and anti-Semetic" and that "singling out Israel for opprobrium and international sanction out of all proportion to any other party in the Middle East is anti-Semitic." They claim it is hypocritical to focus on Israel even though it has been the top receiver of u$ aid, which has been used for the explicit occupation and repression of a whole group of people. It is true that u$ imperialism funds neo-colonial governments across the globe and true that anti-imperialists will oppose all such aid. But the divestment campaign stems from the historical struggle against apartheid in Azania, which is paralleled today in Palestine where a settler outpost has made Palestinians non-citizens on their own land, subject to economic marginalization and military repression. Israel has been vital to u$ imperialist interests in the region, resulting in the excessively brutal repression of the people in Palestine. As such, it is a crucial front in combatting imperialism, the number one enemy of the people.

The rally culminated in a march to the regents' building on Berkeley's campus while chanting, "UC regents what do you say! How many kids did you kill today?" After arriving at the regents' building, protesters laid down flowers as a memorial for the hundreds who died in Deir Yassin and encircled the building, creating a humyn wall in reference to Israel's own apartheid wall. As throughout the entire rally, there was a distinct police presence guarding the regents' building. Interestingly, the zionists chose to gather with the cops around the entrance of the building has the anti-wall crowd surrounded them.

To find out to get involved in the UC divest campaign, visit our campaign page.