A man attempted to self-immolate during the US’s enormous rallies, screaming about false information while others put out the flames.
As the Gaza War approaches its one-year anniversary, thousands marched through US cities on Saturday, from Washington to Los Angeles, calling for an urgent ceasefire. One man even attempted to self-immolate in protest.
The marches were a part of a global day of action against the horrific conflict, in which Israel has been stepping up its military incursions into Lebanon.
An AFP count based on Israeli official numbers that includes hostages slain in captivity shows that 1,205 individuals, largely civilians, lost their lives in the war that began on October 7 when the Palestinian rebel group Hamas invaded Israel.
Based on information provided by the health ministry in the besieged enclave, Israel’s attack on Gaza has claimed the lives of around 41,825 Palestinians, most of them civilians. The UN has certified the numbers as accurate.
Over a thousand demonstrators held a demonstration outside the White House in Washington, DC, with many calling for an end to US military and other assistance to Israel, the country’s key ally.
According to Zaid Khatib, an organizer for the Palestinian Youth Movement, “the US government has really shown what side of history it is on,” AFP reported.
“The US government has performed and co-signed the most evil atrocities that we’ve seen of this century.”
Together with waving Lebanese and Palestinian flags, demonstrators also held up banners and chanted in support of the Palestinian cause.
Journalists from AFP witnessed a man try to light himself on fire as he approached the protest site over two hours into it.
He managed to light his left arm on fire, but before police and onlookers could intervene, they doused him with water and used their traditional Palestinian scarves, keffiyehs, to put out the flames.
He yelled, “I’m a journalist and we neglect it, we spread the misinformation,” as the flames on his arm was extinguished.
According to the police, the man was receiving care for “non-life-threatening injuries.”
“Cleaning ethnically”
Thousands of protesters marched through New York’s well-known Times Square district, some of them carrying photos of those slain in Israel’s military assault of Gaza, which has left most of the region in ruins.
Cornel West, a well-known rights activist and potential independent contender for the US presidency, was one of the marchers.
“I’m here to forever be in solidarity with people undergoing a vicious genocide,” he stated to AFP. “Ethnic cleansing is becoming worse; it has been a full year since it began. We must not give up on this fight.”
The protesters in both cities concentrated on the fact that the United States is one of Israel’s closest allies and provides billions in military support.
Daniel Perez, a resident of New York, stated, “As Americans, we’re tired of our tax money going to Israel to bomb kids in Palestine and then Lebanon.”
Along with other cities, Los Angeles saw protests in the streets. Many of them carried posters demanding an end to the “genocide” in Gaza.
Protesters’ calls for “peace” and “justice” echoed off downtown business buildings in Washington, DC, with the throng erupting in riotous camaraderie and righteous rage.
Laila, an American of Palestinian and Lebanese heritage, told AFP that she had become so disenchanted with her nation’s leaders over the previous year that she doubted she would cast a ballot in November.
“It all disgusts me now,” she declared. “It’s all a lie .”
