The People Shut It Down for Palestine!

We want to send a big shout out to the hundreds of thousands of people who volunteered, organized, participated in mobilizations and disruptions, and engaged in the Shut Down day of action which started as a national initiative but became a truly global manifestation of solidarity with the Palestinian people.

Massive, widespread participation in yesterday's global day of action to Shut It Down for Palestine leaves no doubt: The movement to end Israel's genocide in Gaza is growing stronger and stronger. The Biden administration is a full partner in this genocide, but in cities, towns and college campuses across the country, the people made it clear that we stand with Palestine! 

The next big step for this movement will be on Black Friday -- November 24. This is the biggest retail sales day of the year, with billions of dollars in total sales. We will hold boycotts, disruptions and rallies on this economically crucial day to make it clear that there will be no business as usual until Palestine is free.

Yesterday, genocide profiteers like Pratt & Whitney, Boeing, and Textron were confronted by Shut It Down for Palestine protesters. Massive marches were held that gathered outside train stations in Boston, New York City, Philadelphia, Baltimore and Washington, D.C. Protesters in Los Angeles brought the struggle to the Israeli consulate and the highway. A march in Denver went into the city's convention center to demand it reverse its decision to host the Global Conference for Israel later this month. Hundreds of actions were held in every part of the country that demanded a ceasefire now and the end of all U.S. aid to Israel. 

Student rally in Boston: "You can't suspend the movement!"

November 17th is commemorated globally as the International Day of Student Struggle. National Students for Justice in Palestine, Dissenters, the Palestinian Youth Movement, and many others issued a call to action for nationwide campus actions -- resulting in dozens of walkouts involving thousands of students. The student movement in Palestine as well as student organizations in 16 countries throughout North Africa and the Middle East also issued calls to hold actions on Friday.

An important new component of the day of action was the participation of hundreds of small businesses. Store owners across the country closed up shop and proudly displayed posters in their windows explaining that they had shut down for the day in solidarity with the people of Palestine. Entire blocks in the heavily Palestinian neighborhood of Bay Ridge in Brooklyn were shuttered. 

Protesters inside CNN headquarters in Atlanta unfurl a banner with the names of Palestinians murdered by Israel and the U.S. government

Shut It Down protesters also expressed their righteous anger at the corporate media outlets who spread lies to cover up Biden and Netanyahu's genocide. 16 protesters were arrested after hundreds staged a disruption at the corporate headquarters of Fox News in New York City. Disruptions were also held inside CNN headquarters in Atlanta, at the Chicago Tribune and at other outlets that use their power to excuse and rationalize the massacre of Palestinians. 

This powerful people's movement is now set to massively disrupt Black Friday. November 24th will be a day of boycott, disruptions and rallies to make Israel and the U.S. government's crimes impossible to ignore. We will continue to Shut It Down for Palestine!