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Palestine Solidarity Grand Rapids

Metro Grand Rapids demanding Palestinian Liberation

Mission

Our mission is to grow and strengthen the Palestine solidarity movement in Grand Rapids. That means finding dynamic ways to organize around Palestine and keep mounting demands on the city to stand up and condemn the Israeli occupation. We call for the total liberation of the Palestinian people and unequivocally reject the notion freedom is a pipe dream. Palestinian liberation is entering a new stage of struggle, and we have a responsibility to seize on the moment and sustain pressure. We are standing up from the belly of the beast, the United States, to say our government is complicit in genocide and crimes against humanity toward the Palestinian people. Thus, we recognize the global fight against United States imperialism as part and parcel to the fight against Israeli colonialism. The theft of land, resources and sovereignty must come to an end. We believe on-the-ground organizing, people power, and mass democratic movements are essential components in this fight. As conditions change, our demands change with them.

Our History

Palestine Solidarity Grand Rapids was formed with a mission to unify pro-Palestine forces in the city and take to the streets during the 2021 bombings on Gaza. PSGR held a few successful protests, but it never took off as a fully functioning group and would remain dormant for extended periods. In the ensuing years, PSGR held several sign-holdings in solidarity with Palestine on the corner of Fulton and Division St. in downtown. Following the actions of the resistance and the vicious attacks on Gaza beginning in October 2023, PSGR took to the streets again, holding a joint protest with the Freedom Road Socialist Organization (FRSO) and the Grand Rapids Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression (GRAARPR). The protest - attended by over 200 people - was met with a surge of interest from local community activists to get involved around Palestine work. Which brings us to this moment. PSGR is welcome to anyone willing to take up action for Palestine. All of our members are volunteers and have potential to play a role in future events. We consider ourselves one part of a global movement calling for a free Palestine, and we practice international solidarity with freedom fighters all over the world bravely resisting repression. With the unity of people’s movements, we cannot be defeated. 

Points of Unity

We are internationalists. We recognize the global movement on the march to end the occupation of Palestinian land. Chauvinism and disunity with the people of other countries and groups across the United States are not promoted in any capacity. Solidarity is what we preach. 

We support the Palestinian resistance. We do not condemn the resistance inside or outside of Palestine. We proudly stand together in this moment and recognize the Palestinian people’s legitimate right to resist the occupation and put an end to settler-colonialism and United States imperialism in the region.

We are diverse and unified. We will not tolerate discrimination against any race, ethnic group, religion, ability, gender expression, or sexuality. PSGR is a diverse group in both backgrounds and politics, and we think it’s what makes us strong. A failure from any member to respect this diversity drives us away from our goal and will result in a ban from meetings and events. Please be respectful and understanding of others. We share a common objective.

We are calling for an end to the occupation. We call for a completely liberated Palestine, the right to return and freedom from all the horrors that have characterized Israeli occupation. These are international demands. We reject any equivalence between an occupied people and their occupiers. 

We recognize the complicity of our government. We in the United States have a special responsibility to pressure our politicians, both federally and locally, to divest all business from Israel, to sever diplomatic ties with Israel, to cease the billions of dollars in yearly funding and to halt all weapon sales. Our government and media share full complicity in the ongoing siege and genocide of Palestinians.