Seattle, WA – On the third anniversary of Operation al-Aqsa Flood, October 7, over 350 Seattle-area workers and students marched for a free Palestine.
Hundreds of high school students walked out at noon, holding a rally and march in the Capitol Hill neighborhood before merging into a larger demonstration organized by Nidal Seattle. After opening speeches from organizers, the nearly 400-strong crowd took the streets, marching from Seattle Central College to the historic Pike Place Market, which has been the center of many anti-war protests this year.
The strong turnout and militant energy represented the three years’ worth of organizing undertaken by the groups that helped to plan the event. The march was endorsed by over 30 organizations, ranging from socialist groups to the Muslim Congress.
Speakers and attendees emphasized the need to counteract the narrative that October 7 was an isolated terror attack, but to assert that it was a righteous uprising against 75 years of genocide and ethnic cleansing. The program specifically highlighted the legitimacy of armed resistance. Chants not only praised the Palestinian resistance factions, but also the regional Axis of Resistance, uplifting Iran, Yemen and Lebanon in their fights against imperialist aggression.
Chants during the march also highlighted the interconnected nature of the struggle for Palestinian liberation with the plight of workers and immigrants within the United States, a fact frequently highlighted by freedom fighters in Palestine, Iran, Yemen and Lebanon. As the protesters reached downtown Seattle, it wasn’t just “Money for jobs and education, not for war and occupation!” that reverberated from the buildings, but “Not for ICE and deportations!” as well.
“October 7 was a wake-up call for so many people,” explained Rae Lee, an organizer with Seattle Against War, who helped organize the march. “The genocide in Gaza and the heroic struggle of the Palestinian resistance has inspired millions across the world to fight for a better world. We owe a great debt to their courage, and that’s why we have to keep fighting for a free Palestine.”
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