Report on Protest of Israeli Dance Group on Mercer Island

Today, eight people of conscience took a nonviolent stand for justice and peace in front of the Stroum Jewish Community Center? on Mercer Island. The BDS action was called to protest the performance of an Israeli dance troupe that hails from a town built on the remnants of Qastina, a town violently ethnically cleansed of its Palestinian inhabitants by Jewish troops of the Giv’ati Brigade on July 9, 1948. The protesters included members of St. Mark’s Episcopal Cathedral, Voices of Palestine, and Greater Seattle Veterans for Peace. The action proceeded without incident and, overall, was well-received by members of the Mercer Island community with decidedly more passersby by honking, waving, smiling, and gesturing in support. While there were a few middle-finger salutes such a good and productive time was had that the protest was extended an extra fifteen minutes longer than scheduled. The shows of support coming even from people entering the SJCC more than made up for the one angry, young man who repeatedly screamed at us from a distance, “No one cares about your message.” He seemed to care a lot.

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