Victoria Holds Silent March for Palestine, Take Three

140 Palestine supporters held a third silent march across Victoria as it rallied for a forty-fifth weekend in a row, demanding a ceasefire in Gaza, freedom for Palestine, and accountability for the perpetrators of war crimes against political prisoners in Israel.

I actually don’t have much else to say after this many weeks, whether in support of the protesters’ claims or in condemnation of the Zionist agenda. Neither did the organisers, by the way, thus preferring this new format replacing guest speeches with media interviews, such as this one on Democracy Now! denouncing the gratuitous rape and torture of Palestinian political prisoners in camps that make Abu Ghraib look good in contrast.

“What else is there to say? I actually don’t have the words, let’s just keep going,” said the emcee with a sob in her voice, as she led the procession away from the Government and Broughton intersection we’d been occupying while the speech played on the loudspeakers for bystanders to hear.

The protest was uneventful. There was only one Zionist on Legislature precincts, who did not follow, and only one heckler on the road, yet another angry old white man who walked at the first sight of a police officer. And while overall reception was favourable, too many people just walked by without a care in the world.

The organisers enjoined the attendance and onlookers alike to rally at the Scotiabank branch on Douglas and Yates, this Tuesday at 11am, as part of a national day of action against the financial institution’s holdings of Elbit Systems.