On December 28, Dallas played its part in the worldwide protests against the Israeli bombings in Gaza. As the protest moved intoitsthird hour, just after 2 PM, about 750 protesters had gathered along the street where John F Kennedy was murdered in 1963. The crowd spread from Houston Street, where Kennedy's parade made its last turn, all the way down to the infamous railroad overpass. More families were still arriving. It was the largest peace demonstration in recent memory.
Noor Elashi was accosted by reporters as soon as she arrived. They asked the slim young woman if she thought the tremendous turnout was fueled by the outrage over the government persecution of the Holy Land Foundation. Leaders of the charity had been jailed just two months earlier after years of government efforts to connect them with terrorism. Ms Elashi's father was the most prominent of the victims.
She told reporters, "Yes," that progressive North Texans had begun to see the United States government's role in the 60-year occupation of Palestine, and that they were ready to stand up and do something about it. She referred to her imprisoned father as a hero who is already being acknowledged by progressives around the world.
Speakers raised their voices over the din of "Stop the bombing, stop the war!" and "Free, free Palestine!" Mustafa Carroll of the Committee on Arab Israeli Relations read a statement denouncing the bombings and calling for steady pressure on the U.S. government. Civil Rights leader Reverend L. Charles Stovall reminded the crowd that persecution of a people never works. Other community leaders praised the many families in the protest and denounced the violence in the Middle East.
Similar voices were being heard all over the world!
Noor Elashi was accosted by reporters as soon as she arrived. They asked the slim young woman if she thought the tremendous turnout was fueled by the outrage over the government persecution of the Holy Land Foundation. Leaders of the charity had been jailed just two months earlier after years of government efforts to connect them with terrorism. Ms Elashi's father was the most prominent of the victims.
She told reporters, "Yes," that progressive North Texans had begun to see the United States government's role in the 60-year occupation of Palestine, and that they were ready to stand up and do something about it. She referred to her imprisoned father as a hero who is already being acknowledged by progressives around the world.
Speakers raised their voices over the din of "Stop the bombing, stop the war!" and "Free, free Palestine!" Mustafa Carroll of the Committee on Arab Israeli Relations read a statement denouncing the bombings and calling for steady pressure on the U.S. government. Civil Rights leader Reverend L. Charles Stovall reminded the crowd that persecution of a people never works. Other community leaders praised the many families in the protest and denounced the violence in the Middle East.
Similar voices were being heard all over the world!
