Why is the Black Lives Matter movement in solidarity with Palestine in the war?
Anne Eliza Canning Skinner describes her participation in Black Lives Matter demonstrations in 2020 as the first time she “experienced the meaning of solidarity.” Three years later, the young 28-year-old woman took to the streets of New York to demonstrate in support of the Palestinians, a month after the incessant Israeli bombing of the Gaza Strip.
The war broke out after the surprise attack launched by Hamas in southern Israel on October 7, which killed 1,400 people, while the toll from continued Israeli bombing of the Gaza Strip has since reached more than ten thousand people, the majority of whom are civilians, including thousands of children, according to the latest statistics from the Gaza Ministry of Health.
Canning Skinner is one of thousands of protesters in the United States who have taken to the streets calling for a ceasefire in Gaza and an end to US funding of the Israeli army.
According to Agence France-Presse, protesters in the United States are increasingly linking the Palestinian liberation movement to the black liberation movement.
Recently in Brooklyn, Canning Skinner, a black woman, walked out with protesters who held up signs reading “Black Lives for Palestine” and “White Silence is Violence.” “Everything is interconnected,” says the young woman.
The historical roots of solidarity between Black and Palestinian organizers are intertwined. However, experts and activists believe that the events that have occurred in recent years have led to the crystallization of the similarities and intersections of the protesters.
“In terms of this kind of ideological work to convince people that Palestine is an issue that they should engage with, I think Black Lives Matter has been very important,” Derek Aide, a historian at the University of Michigan, told AFP . He added: “There are more people on the streets; “This is certainly a result of the kind of organizing that black activists were doing alongside Palestinian groups and organizations.”
“common case”
Sam Klug, a historian of African American studies who focuses on decolonization, explains that with the emergence of Black Power and antiwar movements in the mid-20th century, “it became more common in African American activist circles to view the Palestinians as a oppressed population. people.”
He says: The 1967 war was a major turning point, noting that the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee – which was a major organizing force during the American civil rights movement – issued a bulletin that “took a strong pro-social stance -Palestinian”.
He added: “It described a kind of shared state of oppression and occupation between African Americans and Palestinians, and a kind of global colonial society.”
Decades later, the killing of Michael Brown by police in Ferguson, Missouri, sparked mass protests against racism and state violence, and the Black Lives Matter movement began to gain American attention.
In the summer of 2014, Israel launched a military campaign against Gaza for seven weeks, and historian Aydi confirms that “seeing these two things happen simultaneously (…) reinforced the fact that these are two united struggles” for many activists.
He noted: “We saw a kind of wave of action and dialogue between the protesters in Ferguson and the Palestinians in Gaza (…) the exchange of tactics, strategies, stories of oppression and resistance to oppression.”
In 2020, the killing of George Floyd at the hands of police sparked more massive protests and strengthened anti-racism efforts in the United States.
Once again, Palestinians have posted advice online on how to deal with tactics used by riot police, including rubber bullets and tear gas.
Klug believes it is “hard to imagine” the current protests in the United States without the “Black Lives Matter” movement. He said: “It’s certainly not the only factor (…), but I think it’s important.”
“Global solidarity”
Numerous protesters recently interviewed by Agence France-Presse highlighted the existence of links between Israeli law enforcement and American police, particularly highlighting programs that see American officers trained alongside their Israeli counterparts.
Even before the current war, Israel conducted military operations, some of which included the use of lethal force against civilians. Klug noted “a clear common visual language that people can see when Israeli security services brutalize Palestinian civilians, and that Americans have become familiar with from scenes of white police officers committing acts of violence against African-American civilians.”
These factors may help provide a partial explanation for why American opinion on the Palestinian issue has grown and improved in recent years, especially among young people, in a country whose government asserts unwavering support for Israel.
Klug says the protests over the killing of George Florid and the work of “Black Lives Matter” that preceded them have led to a shift in the debate on the Palestinian issue for many black activists – and also more generally “among young Americans of all races.” .”
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Anti-Zionist Jewish movements
Like the “Jewish Voice for Peace” movement and “If Not Now” they played a strong organizational role in supporting demonstrations in support of the ceasefire in Gaza.
Kluge spoke about growing activity on the left among anti-Zionist Jewish movements, such as “Jewish Voice for Peace” and the “If Not Now” movement, both of which have played a strong organizing role in recent weeks.
Joe Behanzen, who recently attended a rally in Manhattan, inspired by “Black Lives Matter,” emphasized that it is about what he described as “global solidarity.”
The young man (25 years old) said he wanted to “return” the global support for the “Black Lives Matter” movement in 2020, explaining that it is part of the “ongoing global movement against white supremacy and colonialism”.