Members of Lowcountry Rising for Palestine, Free Palestine Charleston, Charleston Chutzpah, Charleston DSA, and others demonstrated at Marion Square in downtown Charleston to answer the call to action from the Palestinian people to make October 5, a day of action. The groups released the following statement:
"In response to the continued violence committed against Palestine and Lebanon that has claimed at least 42,000 lives, compounded on the 76 years of occupation by the apartheid regime, we stood together today to let the Lowcountry, the state of South Carolina, and our nation know that we have not forgotten and will not abandon the struggle for a free Palestine.
Despite the peaceful nature of our protest, our movement was faced with baseless repression by the Charleston Police Department, who threatened arrests before we even took to the streets, in violation of our First Amendment rights. Though we agreed to comply with their demands to disperse, members were continuously harassed and threatened with detainment. We recognize this pales in comparison to the repression, violence, and surveillance being inflicted on millions of Palestinians, including the thousands of hostages being held in Israeli detention centers. We know our struggles are intertwined, and that police repression is a product of the same systems we aim to challenge.
The repression of our movement today was expected but ultimately failed to halt us. While we did not get to march as planned, dozens of community members instead participated in a car caravan that amplified support for Palestine through central arteries of downtown Charleston. Our movement is resilient, and we succeeded in disrupting the illusion of normalcy.
In drawing parallels between Charleston and Palestine, we are obligated to denounce Charleston’s role in aiding and profiting from this genocide and occupation, as Israeli-based weapons and surveillance manufacturer Elbit Systems opened their Ladson facility in 2023 with tax incentives proposed by the South Carolina Coordinating Council for Economic Development and approved by Charleston County Council. This diversion of taxpayer funds is not only shameful but also violates international law.
Regarding the role of Elbit Systems in supplying the genocide, a local parent said, “Millions of dollars that should be supporting our kids in Charleston are instead going to produce weapons that kill the children of Gaza.”
A speaker from Lowcountry Rising for Palestine further illustrated the contrast between the interests of our elected officials and their constituents by saying, “A week after Hurricane Helene ravaged the Carolinas, in the wealthiest and most advanced nation in history, there are still scores of people without cell service, power, or access to basic aid. Meanwhile, billions in U.S. dollars continue flowing into Israel to fund the genocide of Palestinian families. Our government is quicker to back this genocide than it is to rescue its own people at home.”
We will never normalize nor accept the US taxpayer-subsidized Israeli genocide or the occupation of Palestine, just as we will never accept a new genocidal front nor the occupation of Lebanon. Instead, we uplift Palestinian and Lebanese voices in Charleston and abroad and echo their call to Free Palestine and end the occupation. The state may threaten us and use repression tactics, but the movement for a free Palestine will not be stopped.
Our demands are as follows:
- An immediate and permanent ceasefire in Gaza, the West Bank, and Lebanon, a bilateral release of hostages, and an immediate restoration of humanitarian aid. We support the ICJ’s findings of plausible genocide committed by Israel against Palestine, and firmly believe Israel must be held accountable for the war crimes they are committing.
- End support for war profiteering in South Carolina, including Elbit Systems. In 2023, Elbit Systems opened in Ladson, South Carolina with the aid of several tax incentives authorized by the South Carolina Coordinating Council for Economic Development and Charleston County Council.
- A Free Palestine. The only path toward peace and justice begins with the liberation and self-determination of the Palestinian people. Palestine has the absolute right to a sovereign, contiguous state."