Israeli-Palestinian Protest - drummer

Is it a drumstick or an offensive weapon?

That was the question concerning police in the throes of supervising the very loud pro-Palestinian protest outside the Israeli Consulate last night.

(see previous blogs)

The protest was well underway with chanting supported by drumbeats when
suddenly, the police moved one of the drummers away from the crowd.

Ushering him to the back of the sidewalk they challenged him over his 'drumstick', a hammer-looking implement with claws.

'It's a drum mallet! A stick!' argued the drummer, carrying his large white plastic drum with him.

'A weapon!' said the first police officer.

'It's a hammer!' said a second police officer.

But after a few minutes, the police decided to give him the benefit of the doubt and he was left to continue his chant-leading drumbeats but with the head of the hammer wrapped in sticky tape.

For an album of more pics click here

Israeli-Palestinian Protest at Israeli Consulate (2)

Dina Wahbe balanced precariously on a fire hydrant outside the Israeli Consulate this evening, megaphone in hand, and led the chanting of hundreds of pro-Palestinian supporters. (see previous blog for first report)

Pausing to comment on the protest, she said, 'We need to let them (Israel) know we will continue to fight. We don't care how many bombs they drop.'

She was surrounded by swirling flags, placards and hundreds of demonstrators jostling on the sidewalk.

This was the second anti-Israeli demonstration in two days, this one being organised by the A.N.S.W.E.R - Act Now to Stop War and End Racism - Coalition and supported by various political groups.


One of the organizers was Nathalie Hrizi who had also been leading the chanting.

'I think it's fantastic,' she said of the turnout. 'More people are coming now, more people are feeling upset about what's happening in Gaza.'

She cited the numbers of people killed and injured in what she described as 'a year-long seige. It's a humanitarian disaster,' she said. But she was hopeful that the protests would bring an end to the war.


'I think the power of the people across the world have shown that the majority are against the war and that's the force that matters. We're going to stop the war.'

Not far from her was Dowa who said she was there 'to support Palestine.'

Did she have family there?

'All of them are our family,' she said first, though adding that she did have personal family members there.

pics show protesters with Nathalie Hrizi (top) and Dina Wahbe

Further reports and more pics in next blog
For album of more pics click here

Israeli-Palestinian Protest at Israeli Consulate

It was big! It was noisy! Though at the end of the day nothing like

the crescendo of missiles landing in Israel and Gaza.

But for over an hour hundreds of mostly anti-Israel anti-USA demonstrators chanted outside the Israeli Consulate this evening. They then marched from Montgomery Street down to Market Street and onto the Civic Center where they milled around

and dispersed into smaller groups, some continuing to parade the streets.

The pro-Israeli supporters were heavily outnumbered but undaunted as protesters lined both sides of the street outside of the Consulate at 5 pm.

From the start, the chanting got underway. 'Stop bombing Palestine...Stop bombing children...Free free Palestine!' And then the drums began to throb. The Palestinian supporters packed the sidewalk outside the Consulate but also were spread on the opposite side with the few Israeli supporters.

There was a large police presence with helicopters overhead.

On the Israeli side were Luda and Irina, Russian Jewesses.

'American Jews have very little understanding of what is going on,' said Luda, referring to the huge support for Palestine. 'I think they don't care to understand what is going on, they're superficial.

''They only support Palestinians because they (Palestinians) are poor. They don't know anything about Israel. Basically, they're just brainwashed.'

Suddenly, as if on cue, a figure waving a miniature Menorah strolled past and caught Luda's attention. She turned to talk to him.

'I'm Jewish American. I'm for human rights,' said Adam and went on his way.

'And that means automatically he supports Palestinians,' complained Luda. 'So Israel should let Hamas destroy us and do nothing about it! That would make all the anti-Semites happy,' she said.

Caden, a young Jew, was there, he said, 'to support the story of the other side.'

His friend, Jonathan, was one of the leaders of the Jewish counter-protest. 'I don't understand why the world is going crazy, because Hamas attacks Israel, because Hamas their goal is to destroy Jews, and basically they have been firing rockets for months...from the Gaza Strip.'

He said that of the nearly 400 people killed so far between 200 and 250 were terrorists, although conceding that many civilians had been injured.

As he was talking, Omar came up and accused him of bigotry.

'I know both sides. Trust me, I was there, I had rockets fired at me,' said Jonathan, referring to a school trip back to his homeland when he had been in the vicinity though not direct firing line of missiles.

'Israel stole the land from the Palestinians. I disagree with violence on both sides,' continued Omar with passion.

The two argued over the siege of Gaza and the blocking of transport routes.

'Supplies are coming from Hezbollah,' said Jonathan, defending Israel's actions.

'Blockading the country is an act of war,' said Omar.

By then Omar was one of quite a few Palestinian supporters who were crowding onto the Israeli side in an effort to dominate, their black, white, green and red flags mingling with the few blue and white ones.

The loud chanting continued, several conversations between opposing sides were taking place and police stepped in and broke up a couple of verbal altercations.

For more reports and pics see next blog.
For album of extra pics click here

pics show protesters outside the Israeli Consulate; mingling of Palestinian and Israeli flags; Jonathan and Caden; A.N.S.W.E.R Coalition leading the march down Montgomery Street