Thousands participated in the worker’s solidarity march in Nazareth on Saturday (April 28) and called for social justice, peace, and equality. Members of the Communist Party of Israel (CPI) and activists in Hadash participated, amongst them Knesset members Dov Khenin, Mohammed Barakeh, Hannah Sweid, and Afu Agbaria
Thousands participated in the worker’s solidarity march in Nazareth on Saturday (April 28) and called for social justice, peace, and equality. Members of the Communist Party of Israel (CPI) and activists in Hadash participated, amongst them Knesset members Dov Khenin, Mohammed Barakeh, Hannah Sweid, and Afu Agbaria
In a conversation with News Channel 2 Knesset member Dov Khenin said “we must come to a situation of equality between the worker in Nazareth and the worker in Sderot or any other place in the country.” Khenin added: “Mayday opens the summer in Israel. In the last year we learned a lot: we found that there are great forces for change in Israeli society, and we also saw the stubbornness of the government in preventing true social change. A big challenge of the summer protest movement, which is starting now, is to sharpen messages and consolidate forces. The struggle for social justice requires us to wrestle with an attempt to force a different agenda onto Israel, of wars and external enemies or persecution of ‘internal enemies,’ this struggle also requires wrestling with an anti-social government and an anti-social system,” Khenin emphasized.
Mayday Demonstration in downtown Nazareth (Photo: Eli Gozansky)
Hadash chairman MK Mohammed Barakeh said: “this year, like in previous years, we are marking mayday, against the backdrop of the drums of war of the extreme right, against the Palestinian people and other people’s of the region or against the workers, the weak and poor populations in Israel. Our struggle is one and for us mayday is a symbol of this struggle.” In the short speech he gave at the end of the rally that took place at the Friendship House, Barakeh called for the release of all of the political prisoners in Syria, and especially the Palestinian Marxist thinker Salama Kayla, who was arrested last week. The secretary general of CPI, Muhammed Nafaa; secretary general of the Young Communist League of Israel, Amjad Shbeta; Tel Aviv municipal council member, Yoav Goldring; chairman of the Histadrut Labor Union in the southern triangle region, Jamil Abu Ras; and chairwoman of Na’amat women’s union in Nazareth, Rudaina Jeraysi. A special guest at the rally was a representative of the People’s Party of Palestine, Khaled Ashav. Goldring, Abu Rash and Jeraysi discussed both the upcoming Histadrut and Na’amat elections and called for support for the opposition list, “The Social House”, which Hadash is participating in. At the end of the rally participants sang “The Internationale” in Hebrew and Arabic. It should be noted that during the length of the march through the main street of Nazareth the many demonstrators flew red flags, and carried effigies that pointed out that “the government is milking the people”, carried signs in Hebrew that said “the government is against the people the people is against the government”. Additionally, they chanted to overthrow the government, war, and capital.
Saturday evening another demonstration was held in Haifa. Hundreds participated in the rally. Events marking mayday, the international workers solidarity holiday, started on Friday in the afternoon with a demonstration in Jerusalem. Around one hundred demonstrators marched in the center of the city, amongst them members of Hadash, CPI, and the Communist Youth League of Israel. At the end of the march there was an impromptu rally in Horse Park, where the protest encampment was located last summer, and during the rally workers representatives; amongst them members of the “Youth Protection” (Hasut Ha’noar) union that recently signed its first group agreement, and of the Israel Antiquities Authority, hosted by a Communist Youth League leader.
On Sunday a torch lit march will take place in Sahknin, organized by CPI and Hadash it will leave from outside the CPI office at 7:30. On the evening before Mayday, Monday April 30th, there will be a torch lit march in the Western Galilee, organized by CPI and Hadash. The march will leave at 7:30 from the CPI office in Kfar Yasif to Abu-Snan. The same evening, at 7:00, there will be a Mayday rally, organized by CPI and Hadash, in Taybeh, with the participation of Knessset member Barakeh, secretary general of the youth league Shbeta, head of the Histadrut in the southern triangle region Abu Ras, and “Social House” candidate for head of Na’amat in the region, Maysan Jaljuli. On Monday there will be a documentary film screening, in honor of Mayday, in Beer Sheva. The event will take place at 7:00 at Multaka-Mifgash, Shlomo Hamelech 7, with the participation of Dr. Efraim Davidi.
It should be noted that on Tuesday, May 1st, there will be a large demonstration in Tel Aviv with participation of social activists, among them members of CPI, Hadash, and the Youth Communist League of Israel, Jews and Arabs. The demonstration will begin with a march that will leave from Habima Square at 6:30 and which will arrive in Rabin Square. Additionally, on Friday, May 4th, there will be a meeting in Tel Aviv of members of workers councils and activists in workplaces of “The Social House” list, which Hadash is participating in, in preparation for Histadrut elections. The meeting will take place at 11:00 in the “Social House” headquarters, 13 Shonzino St.
The Facebook event for the Mayday demonstration in Tel Aviv (In Hebrew)
