Horns blared in support for Palestine over the roar of traffic along the 57 Freeway at Yorba Linda Blvd on Sunday, August 3, in Fullerton. The OC Banner Drop for Palestine covered both directions of the 57 Freeway with massive banners designed to be visually impactful, aiming to spark conversation and further investigation into the crisis. It’s music to the ears of activist Sally Sanders and the OC Banner Drop for Palestine Team.
“I don’t want my tax dollars going to pay for a genocide on people, and it has to be stopped,” said Sanders.
They have been doing this work for more than 20 months. The team has been raising awareness about the ongoing bombing and starvation campaign waged by the Israeli government against Palestinians in Gaza – a tiny piece of land along the Mediterranean coast surrounded by Israel.
Israel maintains that its actions in Gaza constitute a legitimate act of self-defense following the horrific Hamas-led attacks on October 7, 2023. Hamas and its officials are the ruling political entity in Gaza. The State Department designated Hamas a Foreign Terrorist Organization in 1997. Tens of thousands of civilians, including women and children, have been killed, and now hundreds of thousands more are at extreme risk of starvation because the Israeli military will not allow aid trucks into Gaza.
Activist Sally Sanders makes some noise on the Yorba Linda Blvd. freeway overpass.
International groups like Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, the United Nations Special Committee, and the International Court of Justice have concluded there is sufficient evidence that genocide is occurring in Gaza.
Sanders says the unfolding catastrophe witnessed by the entire world is especially relevant to Americans because the U.S. provides Israel with money and munitions.
“We aren’t bystanders,” says Sanders. “We are complicit.” She brings a sense of urgency and dedication to the weekly displays in Fullerton, having just moved the banner drops from the 91 Overpass in Anaheim.
Volunteer engages in civil discourse with cyclist.
Sanders says more volunteers are needed. You can reach her through the team’s Instagram page https://www.instagram.com/ocbannerdrop4pali/. The banner drops take place on Sundays from Noon to 2 pm. Next one is August 10.
The two million Palestinians in Gaza are refugees or descendants of refugees who were driven from their homes in other parts of Palestine when Israel was created in 1948.
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Categories: Community Voices, Local Events, Local News
I would have thought Hamas would have been
Removed from power by now.
I think you misunderstood the article. The banner drops are about stopping the genocide, which now includes starvation, and our complicity therein.
On August 10?
ED: Whoops that should be August 3, next one is August 10. Thanks – Will fix.
All of this could end if Hamas would surrender. As long as they are committed to the destruction of Israel and the Jews, this cannot end. We will not back down…NEVER AGAIN is NOW!
Netanyahu is a terrorist and war criminal. Israel is an apartheid state that during the Nakba ethnically cleansed Palestinian Arabs through violence, displacement and dispossession of land, property, and belongings. NEVER AGAIN MEANS NEVER AGAIN FOR ANYONE.
I’m with Dolly. The war, the food crisis and the violence ends when the terrorists surrender. Just like Berlin and Tokyo in 1945. Unconditional Surrender.
Imperial Japan and Nazi Germany. That was a war machine of functioning states we were up against not terrorists and starving people.
In the beginning, yes. By 1945 both nations were reduced to non-functioning, starving messes. When Germany tried to negotiate a surrender with Ike in early May 1945, he told them Unconditional Surrender was the only term the Allies would accept. Same in Gaza. Hamas surrenders. War is over. Food and aid flow freely. Until that time, unfortunately, the civilians will have to suffer right along with their military.
Wow Tom -I can’t believe you are so casual – as innocent people are starved, killed, injured and their homes and livelihoods, hospitals and schools are destroyed. I hope the world doesn’t decide Trump has to go and destroys civilians in our country to get rid of him because apparently we voted him in. BTW nothing Netanyahu regime has done is good for bringing home hostages or for Jews anywhere. Even Israel’s population is protesting on the streets as is the rest of the world.
More than 230 Palestinian journalists have been targeted and murdered by the Israeli apartheid regime. Each targeted assassination of a journalist is a war crime. Israel has showed the world they do not comply with international law and are openly slaughtering the Palestinian people. They are intentionally starving Palestinians by withholding aid sitting 1 mile away. Israeli hasbarah is false propaganda that the Israeli government spends millions of dollars each year to try to wipe Palestine from history. Jewish safety DOES NOT REQUIRE Palestinians to be UNSAFE. Conflating Judaism with Zionism is a dangerous mistake that is costing hundreds of thousands of innocent lives. Jews with a conscious and heart say NEVER AGAIN meaning NEVER AGAIN FOR ANYONE. All Jews should stand alongside their fellow Jewish brothers and sisters as well as Muslims, Christians and others to stand up against the slaughter of innocent Palestinians. Shame on anyone who defends a genocide. Standing for Palestinian liberation is standing for all oppressed peoples liberation. Free free Palestine!