By Michael Bielawski
The Vermont Coalition for Palestinian Liberation will be meet mid-afternoon Saturday August 3 to strategize on how to “cut off all aid and arms to the apartheid state [Israel].” They hope to influence the policies of presidential candidate Kamala Harris via a protest among other initiatives.
The meeting will take place at a public venue.
Violence between Israel and Palestine escalated in the fall of 2023 when the Palestinian terror group Hamas launched a surprise attack on southern Israel from Gaza on Oct. 7 resulting in the deaths or capture of at least 1,100 civilians including women and children. Footage (warning graphic) of the attacks can be seen here.
The military response by Israel to pursue Hamas militants and rescue their hostages has inflamed Pro-Palestinian groups, prompting some Vermont citizens at the Statehouse lawn on Dec. 4, 2023, to chant “from the river to the sea,” widely known to be an open call for the destruction of the State of Israel.
Meeting tomorrow
The VCPL meeting is to be held at the Old North End Community Center in their community room, the address is 20 Allen Street in Burlington. The meeting is planned for 3:30.
The organization’s presser states that they would like to pressure the presumed Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris to adopt foreign policies in their favor.
It states, “We found out that there is a fundraising event for Kamala Harris’s presidential campaign on August 10th. Given Israel’s escalation of its genocidal war on Gaza into increasing regional airstrikes and assassinations, we thought it essential to organize a protest.”
The time and location of the Harris campaign event is not listed, nor is it available on the Vermont Democratic Party website.
VCPL states, “We need to publicly pressure Harris and her backers to break with the current policy they share with Donald Trump, order an immediate stop to Israel’s war, and cut off all aid and arms to the apartheid state.” It states that this meeting will not just focus on the Harris campaign but also a handful of other initiatives.
The press release adds, “We’ll present our proposal for the protest of Harris’s fundraiser and give an update on plans for a contingent at Burlington’s Pride Parade, the state-wide conference in October, and the Apartheid Free Community campaign for organizational affiliations and ballot measures.”
It notes that once in the meeting, they will break into subgroups for further discussion. It says, “ We will meet as a large group and then break up into our five working groups—Action, Campaigns, Education, Vermont Labor for Palestine, and Collective Care. Join us, get organized, and build the resistance for a free Palestine!”