A Message from Hisham Arwatani

Written by Hisham Arwatani

June 14, 2025 at “No Kings Rally” in Burlington

“As we stand here today, unified in common cause, we must realize that no struggle stands in isolation. The migrant camps of El Salvador are modeled after the prisons of Israel, and ICE has been unleashed to suppress Palestinian and undocumented alike. We are facing a seething force of hatred and division, and we must stand in lockstep to fight it. Yet it has been abundantly clear that many in Washington are not serious about standing up to this threat. What can we expect from the likes of Senator Chuck Schumer, who goads Trump into attacking Iran, and qualifies his opposition to the illegal kidnapping of Mahmoud Khalil by saying he “abhors his opinions”. What can we expect from politicians who have watched 21 months of genocide unfolding in Gaza, and all they have had to say is more, more weapons to Israel, more killing, more bloodshed. Anyone who can accept and support Israeli tyranny will never truly fight for American democracy. All they will have to offer is halfhearted remarks and empty gestures. Already the Trump administration has weaponized hatred against Palestinians to attack universities, revoke visas, and kidnap green card holders. And we have let the consent for this be manufactured on both sides of the aisle, by a constant dehumanization of Palestinians, and dishonest definitions which seek to portray their existence itself as a form of hatred. He who does not care for the child of Gaza disabled by Israeli bombs can never truly care about the undocumented mother of LA rended from her family. They have already shown that they will not stand up for humanity, and therefore we shouldn’t be disappointed when they fail to do so, but instead we raise our voices louder, one movement, for Palestine, for freedom for all, and for upholding humanity.”