Hundreds Rally and March in San Francisco To Protest Attack on Tristan Anderson

Today marks the sixth anniversary of the murder of Rachel Corrie by the Israeli Defense Forces in Palestine.

And today hundreds rallied in front of the Israeli consulate in San Francisco, then marched through downtown during rush hour, to protest the IDF’s life threatening attack on Tristan Anderson of Oakland, CA, in Palestine on last Friday, March 13.

The IDF used a Caterpillar tractor to crush Rachel to death as she stood trying to stop it from destroying the house of a family she had been staying with in Gaza. Less than a week later the US unleashed mass weapons of destruction on the Iraqi people..

Last Friday the IDF shot Tristan in the head with a high speed tear gas canister as he was standing in solidarity with Palestinians in the West Bank who were protesting the building of the “apartheid wall” through their town. This wall would cut them off from their farmland and make their home even more of a communal prison than it already is.

The violence and killing inflicted by the IDF has taken four lives recently in the town of Ni’lin, where Tristan took a direct hit in the head, necessitating the surgical removal of part of the frontal lobe of his brain.

A flyer handed out at today’s rally by Friends of Tristan and Palestine stated “We are here to express out love and solidarity with Tristan and with the families of those killed in Ni’lin protesting the wall: Ahmed Nousa (10), Yousef Amira (17), Arafat Rateb Khawaje (22), and Mohammed Khawaje (20).

“We are here because we are angry at the US government and Israel for injuring our friend and because we know that families in Palestine are humiliated, injured and killed every day and it goes unreported.”

The crowd in front of the Israeli embassy at 456 Montgomery St. in SF flowed out into the street, as cops stood behind it and looked on from numerous vantage points.

Across the street a handful of people held the disgraced the Israeli flag. Back on the other side of Montgomery messages demanded justice for Tristan and the Palestinian people. One sign read, “They thought he was a Palestinian so they shot him in the head.”

During the rally a live call came through from Gabrielle Silverman, Tristan’s romantic partner, who was standing with him when he was shot. She reported that, as well as the four people shot and killed in Na’lin recently, another man had been shot in the leg with live ammunition, and three more people had been shot with high speed tear gas canisters, like Tristan. Silverman characterized these atrocities as “non-stories,” i.e., they weren’t reported by the corporate media.

“I have a lot of rage right now,” she said. “There are much larger goals” though. “We need to stop the shooting of people all the time in Palestine.”

Silverman said she believed the IDF shot Tristan either “because they believed he was Palestinian or because the army was firing indiscriminately into the crowd. Either way we can learn a hell of a lot.

“I’m glad to hear there’s a good crowd in San Francisco,” she concluded. “It’s very heartening.”

A speaker at the rally called for an investigation of US weapons used in the attacks. “They’re all US weapons,” she declared. “We’re all responsible. “ She also called for people to “honor those who have passed, and pray for healing of the wounded, to remember the 1400 innocents,” killed in Gaza recently, “the 5000 wounded, the 100,000 made homeless.”

A final speaker informed people of a fund being set up to help pay for Tristan’s “long path back,” with info about how to contribute at Indybay.org.

Soon thereafter people took to the rush hour streets, marching with banners and signs and music and dancers past motorized commuters and cable cars, chanting “Tristan Anderson, We are with you, Rachel Corrie, We are with you,” and “Palestine, Free Free!”

Police accompanied the march on foot, motorcycles, vans and motorbikes. At one point on Market Street a cop manhandled a dancing woman because she was whirling beyond the double yellow line.

Eventually the march wound down Powell Street a little before 6 p.m. to the cable car turnaround and then came to a halt at the intersection of Market and 5th streets, blocking vehicular traffic in all directions. Buses backed up, business as usual halted, nobody was going anywhere.

This went on for about 20 minutes, until the ever increasing police presence opened up the intersection little by little.

Then, at about 6:20 p.m. people surged, stomped and danced into 5th street again. One man ended down on the street, surrounded by cops, who attempted to arrest him. But people then surrounded the cops, shouting “Let him go,” and “We’re not afraid of you.” The cops released him and people helped him to the sidewalk and safety.

People reunited, the woman dancer declared, “The march is starting,” and it set off down Market Street again.

Later reports in Indybay told of people being beaten and arrested. One post a little after 7 said, “The police just beat many people on Montgomery [by the Israeli embassy].”

Another posted just before 9 reported “The attack was unprovoked and without cause for force. The police had attacked a group of peaceful protestors who were on the sidewalk doing nothing. They gave no order to disperse and simply attacked people for standing by the get well card for Tristan. Many people were arrested for no reason and are now being held in jail.”