A small group gathered on the west side of Highway 101 near the bridge that straddles the D River to communicate their displeasure with The United States government’s involvement in what they characterized as “Genocide of the Palestinian people.”
During their advertised protest the group chanted slogans and danced to songs playing on their portable cd player. The songs seemed to be protest songs about Palestine and one song was “F#*@ the Police.”
A spokesperson named Rachel said the reason they were out today was to say “Our main message today is that the U.S. is complicit in sending billions of our dollars, tax dollars, to bomb something…they’re causing a genocide with our tax dollars. We’re the number one funder.”
Several drivers passing by shared their knowledge of curse words with the demonstrators. However, for the most part, the group was acknowledged with thumbs up and horn honks that seemed supportive rather than angry (if one can judge such things by horn blasts).
The group displayed modified and unaltered Palestinian flags and an inverted American flag with a message about America paying for genocide and red handprints on it.
A chant of “from the river to the sea, Palestine must be free!” was heard so I asked the group’s spokesperson what that meant and she said, “The original boundaries of Palestine were from the Jordan River to the Mediterranean Sea so they’re (sic) just saying that Palestine should be free from the river to the sea.”
Motioning behind her she added “We’re saying specifically ‘from the D River to the sea we’re with Palestine!'”
For the most part, the comments on the Facebook post of the event have been negative towards the group and Homepage for covering the demonstration:
From Charles Clark,
“Shame on you for allowing them to disrespect our flag and then posted live shame on you”
Great story Don
Great story Don
Getting it from all sides means you hit the sweet spot
We don’t need anti Israel garbage in this town.
I moved here to get away from this political trash.
They are anti American socialists.
Thank you, Don, for recognizing that not all reporting is about our beautiful blue ocean, peaceful lake, and vacation rentals.
People can and do whatever they want, and don’t spend enough time understanding history. Bummer about the inverted American flag.
I agree with Jenna above people Seem to be unaware of history and don’t really know the actual cause-and-effect. They obviously have forgotten the holocaust during World War II.
They should be worrying about this country. We have enough problems.
Totally support the demonstrators and would have joined if I had known they were there. These people are informed, unlike the general public. There has been a 100 years assault on the people of Palestine and the US has been complicit since the Balfour Edict. This is genocide and mass destruction of people who have inhabited the area for centuries.
Shame on the US, shame on citizens who blindly support this destruction and refuse to educate themselves.
Shame on those who cannot differinciate Zionism from rabbinical Judaism and seem to feel genocide against Muslims and Orthodox Christians is acceptable when the majority of Isreal wants Netanyahu out of office and find this genocide disgusting.
This is America and peaceful protest is still a basic right even if we are not in agreement with the issues.
The gay rights issue or homosexuality is another example or what about that homeless person we walk by and don’t offer them even a drink.
Bombs from the US, like it or not, are being dropped on the Palestinian people, Including the children
Lord heal our stone hard heartedness and give us hearts of flesh
Jesus said to :
“ Love our neighbors as our selves” and “ The lamp of the body is the eye if your eye is generous, your whole body is radiant, but if your eye is jaundiced, your whole body is dark so if the light within you is dark, how great must the darkness be? “that it’s the heart of the Torah, or the Old Testament law. How can we say that we love God, whom we have not seen if we’re not willing to love our fellow human beings. For Christ sake let’s love children, and receive a reward from Jesus that he promised .
Billions of our tax dollars and advanced weaponry are being shipped to Israel so the IDF can conduct a genocidal campaign against the Palestinian people. American citizens, including Oregon Coast residents who are troubled when they see people peacefully protesting, are complicit in the genocide. Our representative, Val Hoyle, voted to mainline billions more dollars to the IDF and her challenger, Ms. DeSpain, believes that Representative Hoyle is being too tough on the Israeli government. Mostly, neither one of them speak about this issue but hey, there’s this shady issue with Hoyle and La Mota, have you watched one of three million ads put out on that globally vital issue? Stop the genocide. Demand that our representatives forgo the AIPAC cash and do what’s right.