Community Members in Santa Cruz Protest Israel's Attacks on Gaza

On July 14, community members joined together in Santa Cruz to protest Israel's recent bombing of Gaza, as well as the collective punishment carried out against the Palestinian people living there and in the West Bank. Demonstrators say most of the weapons that are being used against the Palestinian civilian population have been paid for with U.S. tax dollars, and they have called the bombings, "acts of genocide" and a "moral outrage."

Some of the signs at the protest were embellished with photographs of Palestinian children injured in the bombings, and some had statistics tallying the death toll during the attacks: 172 people killed in Gaza and zero in Israel. One demonstrator held a sign that stated 1,384 Palestinian children had been killed by the Israeli military since the year 2000.

Other signs included statements such as "Boycott Genocide, Boycott Israel," "Let Gaza Live! Another Jewish Voice Opposed to Atrocities in Gaza!" "No More War, Find Peace or Make It," "The Real Terrorists: U.S.-Israeli War Machine," "What Jewish Law Permits the Killing of Innocent Children?" and "Assault on Gaza = Murder."

Approximately 50-75 people attended the demonstration, which was held at the Town Clock and organized by the Palestine-Israel Action Committee as a "Santa Cruz Day of Rage." Some rage wound up being exhibited, as at least two individuals with a "pro-Israel" agenda situated themselves in the middle of the demonstration and engaged in heated communications with the larger group.