Demonstrations and memorials marking the anniversary of the 7 October attacks on Israel and the ensuing war in Gaza are to take place around the US, with cities and campuses on high alert for any unrest as the threat of a full-scale war in the Middle East looms.
Dozens of rallies, marches and other events are planned on Monday in protest against the Israeli offensive, which was sparked by the Hamas-led attacks in southern Israel that killed about 1,200 people and resulted in another 250 being taken hostage. Israel’s retaliatory war has killed more than 41,000 people in the besieged territory.
Demonstrations are planned around New York City throughout the day. The pro-Palestinian group Within Our Lifetime, backed by dozens of other groups, has called on people to “flood New York City for Palestine”.
In Washington, DC, the Christian group Philos Project has organized a “Standing with Israel” rally at the National Mall, endorsed by a number of pro-Israel organizations. Synagogues and other Jewish institutions will hold vigils throughout the day. The progressive group If Not Now will hold memorials in a handful of US cities to “mourn every Israeli, Palestinian, and Lebanese life taken — every universe destroyed”.
Dozens of events are expected at universities, which have been roiled by conflict in the last year over pro-Palestine encampments, accusations of antisemitism and a series of resignations by university presidents over criticism of their handling of the crisis. Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) has called for a “national student walkout” on Monday.
Campus administrations and police departments have come under scrutiny for a heavy-handed response to the protests, and, in the case of universities, a clampdown on pro-Palestinian speech. In an effort to neutralize tensions leading up to the anniversary, the University of Maryland revoked its permit for an SJP vigil planned for Monday, announcing that only university-sanctioned events would be permitted on the day. A federal judge reinstated the permit after the group filed a lawsuit alleging its first amendment rights had been violated.
At Wake Forest University in North Carolina, a talk planned for Monday by Rabab Abdulhadi, a Palestinian-American scholar, was cancelled after students circulated a petition against it. The university said it was not confident it could ensure security at the event.
In the lead-up to the anniversary, tens of thousands of people around the world protested over the weekend demanding an end to the war in Gaza and to Israel’s rapidly escalating bombardment of Lebanon, which has killed more than 1,400 people in the last two weeks.
Smaller pro-Israel events were held in cities such as Berlin and London, calling for a return of the hostages still held in Gaza.
Israel has vowed to retaliate for an Iranian missile strike that itself was a retaliation for a series of high-profile assassinations attributed to Israel. The escalating tit-for-tat has led to fears that a wider regional war could quickly spin out of control.
