More than two dozen people showed up for a Rally for Palestine on Sunday morning held in front of City Hall in the City of Batavia.
The Genesee County DSA (Democratic Socialist of America) is calling for a permanent ceasefire in Gaza, and an end to the sale of arms used to commit atrocities against Palestinians, along with the release of Palestinian organizer Mahmoud Khalil, who was detained by ICE on behalf of the Trump administration.
The group also recognized March 30th, as this is also Land Day for Palestinians, which commemorates the seizure of Palestinian land by the Israeli government in 1976, as well as the death and displacement of native Palestinians on their land.
The group says the call for a permanent ceasefire is especially pertinent given the Israeli government’s recent violation of the recent ceasefire with Palestinian militant groups.
“The United States government, through their funding and cooperation with breaking this ceasefire, is complicit with the genocide that Israel is committing against Palestinians,” said Genesee County DSA member Samantha Sessamen, referring to a report from the Wall Street Journal that President Donald Trump gave approval following notice from the Israeli government that they would resume bombings in Gaza.
The Genesee County DSA is also calling for an end to the sale of arms to Israel.
“Even though this genocide is happening far away, our tax dollars are funding it,” said Rachel Carroway, member of Genesee County DSA.
The group is also calling for the immediate release of Rumeysa Ozturk.
They say on March 25th, 30-year-old Rumeysa Ozturk was on her way to a friend’s home when she was detained by ICE. Rumeysa has a valid F-1 visa, which allows her to pursue full-time academic studies at Tufts University where she was enrolled in a PhD program. Facing the same accusations as Mahmoud, the State Department deems Rumeysa a threat to foreign policy for her vocal support of Palestine.
Mahmoud and Rumeysa have no criminal charges against them.
In their press release, the Genesee County DSA says the detaining of a legal U.S. resident for their political activism should terrify U.S. citizens because the rebirth of McCarthyism has arrived. In the 1950’s, U.S. Senator Joseph McCarthy helped initiate a nation-wide witch hunt for suspected communists. McCarthyism or the Red Scare resulted in the repression and persecution of individuals with left-wing ideologies and spread fear of communist and Soviet influence on American institutions. It was this historical period of paranoia and political oppression that allowed the passing of the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1952. The exact act that is being used to detain Mahmoud and Rumeysa.
Eventually it came to light that McCarthy’s witch hunt was unsubstantiated, and he was criticized by colleagues and the public at large. McCarthy was on the wrong side of history, and if this administration continues to detain and deport legal residents for their political views, they will be on the wrong side of history as well.
“We’re getting a lot of thumbs up and honks in support, it’s really nice to see, I feel like people are increasingly getting more and more engaged in understanding this issue and the United States relationship to what is going on over there,” says Logan W. Cole, Secretary of the Genesee County DSA branch.
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