Anti-war New Yorkers demand end to US military support for Israel
Hundreds of people held a demonstration in the US city of New York to protest US military support for Israel amid a recent joint aggression by the US and the regime against Iran.
The protesters gathered near the offices of Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer and his colleague Kirsten Gillibrand, whom they accuse of voting against a measure aimed at blocking US arms sales to Israel.
They blocked a major avenue in Manhattan for just under an hour to protest US military support for Israel.
New York’s police detained around 100 people taking part in the rally by a Jewish organization that promotes Palestinian rights, an AFP correspondent saw, with Chelsea Manning among those held.
Manning is the army intelligence analyst who leaked documents to WikiLeaks, and had her 35-year sentence commuted by President Barack Obama in 2017. She now campaigns for pro-Palestinian causes.
"Our actions matter in shaping the course of history. Senators Schumer and Gillibrand have repeatedly supported weapons sales to Israel that are being used to commit atrocities across Palestine, Lebanon, and Iran. We call on Senators Schumer and Gillibrand to follow the will of New Yorkers and vote to block weapons and bulldozer sales to Israel," she said in a statement issued by JVP.
Protesters chanted slogans like “stop the bombs”, “end the killings” and “free Palestine” while voicing their strong opposition to the US-Israeli strikes on Iran, Israel’s ongoing deadly attacks in south Lebanon and Israel’s aggression on the besieged Gaza Strip.
The demonstrators also chanted “let Gaza live”, “let Iran live” and “let Lebanon live.”
The US and Israel initiated a large-scale and unprovoked war of aggression against Iran on February 28, assassinating Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei and several high-ranking military commanders as well as hundreds of civilians.
Washington’s costly war on Iran, which soon turned into a regional conflict, has already consumed tens of billions of dollars and raised concerns about the strain on US weapons stockpiles, large parts of which are also shipped to Israel to be used either against Iran or against Palestine and Lebanon.