Eugene rallies to mark one year of resistance to genocide and to kick off “Intifada” Week

By Sydney Seymour 

“I’m 38 years old, and I’ve never seen a genocide like this—it’s savage,” said Palestinian-American Alla Hamide, a local mental health counselor in Eugene. “Some people I know lost half their weight in six months. Israeli forces want to clear the area—it's a cleansing of people.”

Apologizing to the crowd for her disorganized speech, Hamide, who left Palestine on her 28th birthday, said that this is the worst “Intifada” yet. 

The Palestinian Youth Movement marked Oct. 5 as an International Day of Action, commemorating one year of genocide and resistance. Eugene’s “Intifada” Week, meaning shaking off in Arabic, started at the Old Federal Courthouse Building when the Party for Socialism and Liberation, Extinction Rebellion, Planet vs. The Pentagon, the Pacific Green Party, the Springfield-Eugene Anti-Imperialist Coalition (SEAIC), and other local activists joined an international rally across 60 cities worldwide to support Palestine.

Struggling to speak through tears, Hamide asked, “How many times did Israeli forces stop me and put a gun to my head because I wanted to go to class?” She indicated what students still face in the West Bank—“a cemetery for Palestinians.”

SEAIC member Kamryn Stringfield emphasized the genocide continues to worsen daily even if the media cycle is over it.

“Local institutions like the University of Oregon and the city of Eugene have yet to divest from this genocide,” Stringfield said. “We're continuing to protest local involvement in this massacre.”

Local activist Molly Sirois waved a Palestinian flag for almost two hours at the rally, arriving in her blue Ford truck decorated with a model MK 84 missile representing what American taxpayers pay to send to the Israeli military. Sirois said she will do everything she can for her friends and loved ones in Palestine.

“I cannot live my days in peace while they are being genocided,” Sirois said. “If the people of Eugene had friends and loved ones there, they'd all be here. Nothing else occupies more of my time, attention, and energy than the occupation and genocide.” 

Despite yearlong protests and weekly vigils by local activist groups, there has been zero shift in U.S. policy and aid, according to Justin Filip, secretary of the Pacific Green Party and congressional candidate. Filip challenges the current representative who received poor grades from Palestinian rights groups for supporting Israel.  

“Part of why we're running for Congress,” Filip said, “is to either pressure her to be better on this issue or to take her job.”