Besides the Palestinian and the Jewish community, Asians, Hispanics, and many other locals participated in the protest
Protest at the California State Capitol as the Gaza War Completes 100 Days
By Ras H. Siddiqui
The weather in Sacramento, California on Saturday, January 13, 2024, was seasonably cold and wet but that did not deter close to 300 people from attending a protest at the California State Capitol against the continuing war in Gaza which had completed 100 days, leaving over twenty thousand civilians dead including close to 10,000 children. Now if this were the case in say Ukraine, a similar tragedy involving children being victims of daily bombings would have governments in the Western world in an uproar, but since this is the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, a double standard is observed at play.
But let us forget the governments for a minute and focus on the people. Many Americans, including a significant number from the Jewish community, have shown their displeasure and have condemned the war in Gaza. Just days earlier here at the Capitol, during the first (2024) session of the California State Assembly, the proceedings were shut down by not Palestinians but Jews belonging to organizations such as the Jewish Voice For Peace, IfNotNow, and the International Jewish Anti-Zionist Network. They were well organized and demanded an immediate ceasefire in Gaza. Jews were also prominent at this January 13 th protest, in a not-so-rare show of Arab Israeli “Semitic Unity” while expressing their joint condemnation for what the Netanyahu government has been doing in Gaza.
The event had already started when this writer arrived and did not quite catch the speaker who was heard praising the South Africans for taking Israel to task at the highest court at the United Nations for committing genocide in Gaza. Many here were wearing the traditional Palestinian scarf, the keffiyeh, to express their solidarity with the Palestinian cause. A Palestinian spokesman who took to the stage started off with the slogan “Ceasefire Now!” and was joined by the people in attendance attracting a lot of attention at the Capitol from people passing by. The speaker condemned the sending of weapons to Israel which have been killing innocent people. He said that his family roots in Gaza go back much further than the occupation and that the people there have been denied their basic human rights for too long. He added that he checks his WhatsApp every day to see how many people in his family have been killed. This cannot go on, he added.
The most moving person who addressed the protest happened to be a cute little (less than 5 years old) girl with curly hair who raised the slogans “Free, Free Palestine” and “From the River to the Sea, Palestine Must be Free” along with “1-2-3-4 We don’t want your Dirty War” and “5-6-7-8 Israel is an Apartheid State.” In a war where children like her have become targets, her voiced slogans sure hit home.
The gathering later converged into a procession and marched through several prominent Sacramento downtown streets before returning to disperse. And one thing could not escape any observer at this protest. There were little kids and senior citizens and many young people in between from diverse ethnicities participating here. The Palestinians and the Jewish community have already been mentioned but Asians, Hispanics, and many other locals participated here too. We need to note that there may be disappointment at the government level, but one must never give up on us, the American people, for caring about our fellow human beings no matter where they may be, especially in conflicts where women and children are involved.
All of us need to pay attention to Gaza and now the West Bank too. After the sudden, brutal, and mysterious attack by Hamas against Israel on October 7, 2023, our world has changed alarmingly. There have been many dirty wars fought since World War II, but none as televised and broadcast in real time as this one. It was after the Second World War that the leaders of most countries in the world led by America and the former Soviet Union came together and set some standards on how war should be conducted. Today, we should all be fearful that all those standards appear to have been thrown out of the window in Gaza. If even children have become fair game now, then what is left? We should be collectively terrified. Where are we humans headed next?
