Hundreds Rally in Emergency for Rafah in Victoria
Today’s images from Gaza on mainstream and social media alike were just too much for hundreds of activists to ignore.
Over 350 activists took to the streets of Victoria in outrage over the latest atrocities committed by the Israel Defence Forces in Rafah, last refuge of over a million Palestinian civilians, in blatant violation of an emergency order by the International Court of Justice.
This time the trigger was the so-called Tent Massacre, to differentiate it from the plethora of documented massacres of civilians by the IDF since October. At least forty Palestinians were reported killed by an air strike on an encampment that had been designated as a safe zone, drawing worldwide condemnation. A particularly graphic video is circulating on social media, of a man holding a child whose head has apparently been blown off. This led many protesters to allude to it as a “real beheaded baby,” as opposed to those of the 40-beheaded-Israeli-babies hoax which was used as propaganda by the Zionist state and its apologists to justify its genocidal campaign.
The attendance particularly objected to a piece published by The Atlantic, which casts doubt on the extent of Israel’s war crimes by calling discrepancies in official casualty figures, and more repugnantly by stating it can somehow be legal to kill children used as human shields.
On the steps of the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia, the emcee started the event by admitting she was speechless. So am I, after thirty-three weeks of routine atrocities.
Yet the turnout speaks for itself. On a Monday evening, with less than a day’s notice, far more people have shown up than at the previous weekend rally. I have also noticed a few notable personalities attending the event in their own private capacity, including a politician; at their request, I choose to withhold their identities.
The crowd took to the streets for yet another unsanctioned march, occupying several intersections for minutes at a time before moving along. This time VicPD dispatched several officers in advance, but could not dissuade the organisers in spite of continual haggling. The situation got particularly tense when the organisers unexpectedly turned left on Burdett Avenue, to then return via Humboldt Street, on a one-way segment with one lane under construction. Police liaison officer Mark Jenkins then exploded, calling the decision completely unacceptable because police cars could not follow down that road—which may have actually have been the idea. Jenkins however refrained from outright threatening arrest.
Bystander reaction along the road was overwhelmingly positive, especially along the detour to condo towers where many waved at the crowd from their balconies. In contrast, only two drivers expressed frustration at the traffic disruption, one of them turning around so close to the crowd that for a second I thought it would ram its way through instead.
Only one flag-wearing Zionist showed up, trying with little effect to make protesters talk to her camera. I witnessed just one heckling incident, during which a boorish individual attempted to shoo the crowd away, and even grabbed a Palestinian flag which had flown uncomfortably close to his face, only to be rebuked by a police officer.
It has been suggested that these emergency rallies become a weekly occurrence, on par with sanctioned protests on Saturday. Keep an eye on Instagram for announcements.
