Listen to this week’s episode of Capitalism, Race, & Democracy:
Mainstream media generally do not pay much attention to Palestine— unless an event presents Palestinians in a negative light. October 7th was such an event, providing mainstream media with material they have eagerly shaped into atrocity porn, once again portraying Palestinians as pure villains.
Ali Abunimah of the Electronic Intifada spoke with Katie Halper about what mainstream media has not told us regarding October 7th. Witness accounts are emerging that reveal how Israel’s response to the Hamas operation included the killing of some of its own citizens.
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Max Blumenthal of the Grayzone shines further light on Israel’s killing of its own citizens, discussing key points from his recent article published on October 27th on The Grayzone.
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The country of Colombia in South America was ruled for decades by presidents who served the interests of US imperialism, including its special relationship with Zionist Israel.
This changed with the election in 2022 of left leaning Gustavo Petro. President Petro— incensed by the latest war crimes committed by Israel against the people of Palestine— recently condemned the Zionist state in the starkest terms, signaling how countries in the global south are breaking with US and Israeli colonialism.
Ben Norton from Geopolitical Economy Report provides analysis and comments on Israel’s support of right-wing Colombian death squads in the terror war on popular movements in Colombia as well as other countries in Latin America.
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Last week the UN Security Council failed to pass a resolution on Gaza, but the UN General Assembly passed one calling for an immediate ceasefire. Pacifica’s Ann Garrison reports.
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The worldwide African liberation movement has long stood in unity with the resistance movement of the Palestinian people, sharing the same objective of overturning colonial oppression, occupation and theft of land.
This has been despite attempts to break up this unity through means of violence and financial influence. Malcolm X was assassinated shortly after he returned from a visit to Gaza in late 1964 and denounced the Israeli occupation of Palestine. When the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee came out in support of Palestine in 1967, they lost much of their financial support from white liberal supporters.
On Saturday, November 4th, the 15th annual Black People’s March on the White House, sponsored by the Black is Back Coalition for Social Justice, Peace and Reparations will bring together African, Indigenous, Mexican, Filipino, Cuban, Venezuelan and other oppressed peoples of the world to stand with Palestine in a united front against the common enemy of colonialism.
The November 4th Black People’s March on the White House was originally themed “Not One Step Backwards! Black Liberation Movement Under FBI Attack…again. Drop the Charges, Now!”, stemming from the July 29, 2022 military attacks on the U.S. front of the African liberation movement in St. Petersburg, Florida and St. Louis, Missouri and subsequent baseless federal indictments of three leaders of the Uhuru Movement.
Following those attacks, a broad-based anti-colonial free speech movement developed and is joining the Black People’s March on the White House in demanding
- an end to attacks on freedom of speech and freedom of assembly such as those of Stop Cop City and the Tampa 5;
- the release of all political prisoners, including Leonard Peltier, Jalil Al-Amin, Mumia Abu Jamal and dropping all charges against Assata Shakur.
- an end to U.S. government attacks on Mexican, Navajo and other Indigenous peoples, Occupied Palestinian people, the Filipino people, African people in Haiti; Alex Saab and the people of Venezuela, end the blockade on Cuba, lifting travel bans and the designation of Cuba as a state sponsor of terrorism.
- And finally, that billions in U.S. funding of war in Ukraine be used instead to pay reparations to black people
Margaret Kimberley of Black Agenda Report made a call for participation in the Black People’s March. She’s joined by Mumia Abu Jamal in demanding the charges against the Uhuru 3 be dropped.
During a teach-in on Palestine last week, March organizer and Coalition Chairman Omali Yeshitela argued that the responsibility of those in the U.S. who support Palestinian liberation is to build the revolutionary movement where we are, and that the black liberation movement is the key to overturning the colonial empire.
The Black People’s March on the White House will gather at 11am on Saturday, November 4th at Malcolm X Park, also known as Meridian Hill Park, in Washington, D.C. and march to the White House, with a rally at Lafayette Park.
Black People’s Marches will also take place on November 4th in Los Angeles, London and Pretoria. In Los Angeles, marchers will gather at 11am at Crenshaw and Martin Luther King Jr Boulevard and march to Leimert Park for a rally.
More information can be found at blackpeoplesmarch.com or handsoffuhuru.com
Finally, listeners can support a Palestine solidarity rally also taking place on November 4th in Washington DC at 2:00pm– three hours after the 11:00am start time of the Black Peoples’ March event. The Free Palestine action is demanding an immediate cease fire of Israeli aggression in Palestine. More information on the Free Palestine action can be found at www.answercoalition.org.
And that concludes today’s edition of Capitalism, Race & Democracy. We thank all of Pacifica’s sister stations and affiliates who contribute to the production of this show. Today’s program was produced by the Capitalism, Race, & Democracy collective.
Thanks for listening!
Music:
Richie Havens, “Lives in the Balance”
Jackson Browne, “Lives in the Balance”
