Over 60 protesters, among them Georgetown students, marched along M Street disrupting traffic for over an hour, as part of an “All Out For Lebanon” rally on Saturday evening.
The march began at the Georgetown Waterfront, and was held to protest Israel’s recent attacks on Lebanon, which have killed over 1,000 people since Sept. 16. The attacks are part of ongoing Israeli escalation since Hamas attacked Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, killing 1,200 people and taking 250 hostages. Since then, Israel has launched a ground invasion and bombing campaign on Gaza which has killed over 40,000 Palestinians. Human rights groups, among them Amnesty International, have heavily criticized Israel for war crimes, including using starvation as a weapon of war, and say the entire population of Gaza is at risk for genocide.
The demonstration was organized by three groups: the DMV chapter of the Palestinian Youth Movement, From Maryland 2 Palestine, and the Party for Socialism and Liberation in D.C. At numerous points throughout the protest, speakers called for an end to Israeli occupation in Palestine, an end to Israeli attacks on Lebanon, and the end of U.S. arms sales to Israel. A speaker from the DMV Students for Justice in Palestine Coalition also spoke at the rally around 7 p.m. about its member groups’ efforts to call on their respective universities to divest their endowments from companies tied to Israel.
Photo by Connor Martin
The protesters marched from the waterfront up to M Street and then paused at the corner of 33rd Street to gather and chant around 8 p.m. Then, they marched along M Street, chanting “hurriyah hurriyah” meaning “freedom freedom” in Arabic, waving Palestinian flags, and beckoning to the shoppers and onlookers to join the march.
Before M Street merges into Pennsylvania, protesters turned back down towards the Waterfront. As protesters crossed back on to the Georgetown Waterfront by the Swedish Embassy, the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) formed a bike line across 30th Street to block the demonstration from continuing along the boardwalk.
During this brief standoff, protesters explained to onlookers that they were calling for an end to Israel’s ongoing bombardment in Gaza, attacks in Lebanon, and occupation in Palestine, and the U.S. role in selling weapons to Israel.
At times taking breaks to chant: “Up up with Liberation, Down, down with Occupation” and “Move cops get out the way, we know you’re Israeli trained.”
These chants refer to exchange programs where U.S. police officers, among them MPD, will visit Israel for joint training exercises. These programs have been criticized by human rights groups for promoting unequal and overly violent policing tactics.
Photo by Connor Martin
Following around 20 minutes of chanting at the MPD line, protesters turned around and marched back to their initial rallying spot next to Fiola Mare on the Waterfront. There, they thanked attendees and urged them to attend an upcoming demonstration on Oct. 5 at the White House before dispersing.
Connor Martin contributed reporting.
Photo by Connor Martin
