On January 2, 2009, the Coalition of Conscientious Organizations organized a demonstration/vigil in front of Richmond City Hall to protest the ongoing and relentless bombardment of Gazans by Israel, which left well over one thousands Palestinians dead (nearly half of them women and children)and many thousands of others badly wounded. In addition to the massacre of a society of people with little recourse to retaliate against the US supplied F16s, shells and other vastly assymetical military technolgies, much of the life supporting infrastructure of Gaza was also systematically destroyed. All of this came on the heals of a three year long blockade by Israel of Gaza which had already created a grave humitarian crisis is what is often referred to as the World's largest "open-air concentration camp". Just when one couldn't imagine any greater injustice and creation of human misery and suffering on Palestinians in general and Gazans in particular ... it only manages to get unimaginably worse.

Garrie (Frenkil) Rouse

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From Phil Wilayto of The Richmond Defender ....

Richmond Protest Condemns Israeli Attacks on Gaza
by Phil Wilayto, Editor, The Richmond Defender - www.DefendersFJE.org

RICHMOND, VA , Jan. 2 -- More than 60 people turned out today in Virginia's capital city to protest the ongoing Israeli attacks on the Palestinian people of the Gaza Strip. The spirited protest, held during rush hour in front of Richmond City Hall, was initiated by longtime Richmond African-American activist Umar Kenyatta and sponsored by the newly formed Coalition of Conscientious Organizations. The majority of the protesters were from the area's Islamic, Arab-American and African-American communities. Supporting organizations included Richmond Food Not Bombs, RVA4Peace, Richmond Code Pink, the Gabriel House and the Defenders for Freedom, Justice & Equality.

Chants of "1-2-3-4, Stop Funding Israel's War!" and "Free, Free Palestine!" rang out as passing drivers honked their horns in support. Many people carried Palestinian flags, or printed signs provided by the Virginia Anti-War Network (VAWN) that read "Self-determination for the Palestinian and Lebanese People - Stop U.S. Funding for Israel!" Several speakers addressed the crowd, including Mr. Kenyatta; local Palestinian-American spokesman Jameel Abed; community activist Fatah Muhammad; retired Dr. Ali Hossaini; former Richmond City Councilman Sa'ad El-Amin; and Phil Wilayto, representing VAWN.

Other protests have taken place this week in the Virginia cities of Norfolk and Blacksburg, as well as in many major cities around the country.

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