One day after Hamas’s surprise October 7, 2023, invasion of Israel, during which hundreds of Israelis were killed and at least 100 were kidnapped to Gaza, anti-Israel activist organizations held at least 39 rallies across the U.S.
Rhetoric at these events explicitly or implicitly voiced support for the Hamas terror attack , including in Philadelphia, where one speaker said: “What happened was freedom fighters fighting for freedom… every person who died yesterday wasn’t innocent. Every Israeli Settler by default is a terrorist.” In other cases, rally-goers strongly suggested support for the Hamas attack, sometimes arguing that “resistance is not terrorism.”
A protestor in New York City held up a phone with an image of a swastika on it. In other instances, activists denigrated or called for the exclusion of Zionism and Zionists from public life and promoted antisemitic tropes. Rally-goers cast Zionists as fascists and bigots and referred to Zionists as “colonizers” who should be removed from American cities. One activist in Anaheim, CA, carried a sign that read: “Congress is Israeli occupied territory,” amplifying an historic antisemitic trope about Jews and power.
Primary rally organizers included ANSWER, Party for Socialism and Liberation, Students for Justice in Palestine and the Palestinian Youth Movement. Rallies took place in cities including Atlanta; New York City; Chicago; New Mexico; Philadelphia; Providence; Salt Lake City and Washington, D.C., with attendance ranging from a few dozen to a few hundred, with Chicago, Philadelphia, D.C. and New York City in the upper range and Atlanta and Albuquerque on the lower end.
Antisemitism and explicit expressions of support for Hamas terror
- New York City:
The crowd cheered after a speaker mentioned 5,000 rockets fired at Israel.
A rally attendee displayed his phone to onlookers with an image of a swastika on it, and another held a sign celebrating the attack as a “Zionist nightmare.”
- Anaheim, CA:
Speaker: “This is a moment where Hamas is taking control, they’re resisting. But we need to show our solidarity right here in the US. And how do we do that? We mobilize just like we’re doing right here. We’re out in the streets, we’re marching, we’re showing up.”
- Washington, D.C.:
Referencing the Hamas attack, one speaker said: “make no mistake, we are in celebration”
- Philadelphia, PA:
Speaker: “The Palestinians yesterday through the waters of the sea, through the land and through the air with and with parachutes, stood up for dignity, stood up for human rights.”
Speaker: “What happened was freedom fighters fighting for freedom.”
Implicit Support for Hamas Terror
- New York City:
Speakers representing the Palestinian Youth Movement and other co-sponsors justified Palestinian resistance “by any means necessary” and stated that “resistance is not terrorism.”
Chant: “1, 2, 3, 4; Occupation no more; 5, 6, 7, 8, smash the settler Zionist state!”
- Tampa Bay, FL:
Sign: “Resistance against occupation is a human right.”
- Washington, DC:
Sign: “Resistance is not terrorism.”
- Tucson, AZ:
Sign: “Victory to the Palestinian Resistance!”
- Anaheim, CA:
“This is an event without precedent in our lifetime. We are returning to… entering and resisting beyond the 1967 borders that were imposed by the Zionist entity of European powers.”
“Our fighters have started to fight back again. Does that mean that we kick our feet back and act like we’re gonna celebrate and be happy at this moment? No, we continue the struggle because… people in Gaza right now are fighting so hard. Their lives are at risk and we’re right here in the United States fighting this battle with them, right?”
- Columbus, OH:
Speaker: “There has never been an opposition like this in Palestine and Israel to date…. your messaging needs to be airtight. You need to stop being apologetic about Palestinian liberation.”
- San Francisco, CA:
Speaker: “The intifada lives and Palestine lives!”
Denigrating and Calling for Ostracization of “Zionists”
- NYC:
Chants: “Zionism has got to go!” and “Zionism is genocide!”
Speaker: ““The people running this city are Zionist. Are we ok with that? No!”
- Washington, D.C.:
Sign: “Zionism is fascism. Colonizers out of D.C.”
Speaker: “Zionism is deeply ingrained into our education systems, and we must do everything we can to combat it.”
- Chicago:
Chant: “No Zionism in our town!”
