200 Rally in Rochester for Palestine
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Some 200 protesters gathered in downtown Rochester on July 25 to call attention to the plight of Palestenians under the Israeli occupation of Gaza. It was the third and largest such event since the siege and subsequent ground invasion began weeks ago. The group marched to the headquarters of the local Gannett newspaper to call attention to the fact that nearly all mainstream media reporting on this war has been heavily biased toward the Israeli side. Much like Apartheid South Africa and the Jim Crow US South, Palestenian Muslims and Christians are treated as second class people by the Israeli government. They are kept separated by walls and armed guard towers. They are subject to having their property siezed whenever Israel needs land for new settlements. Borders to Gaza, about the size of Manhattan, are blockaded keeping out food, water, medicine and the building materials needed to repair damage caused by Israeli attackers.
The Gannett's local Democrat and Chronicle did do a story on the demonstrators literally on their doorstep. TV station WROC channel 8 sent a video camera. It is unknown if the footage was ever aired. There is no mention of the event on the station's news web site. Apparently four car crashes are more important.
Arabs and Jews lived side by side in Palestine for centuries as it should be.
