Defend Palestine Rally Toolkit

On May 15th we commemorate Nakba Day, the day of catastrophe marking the exile and dispossession of Palestinians in 1948, when Zionist gangs carried out a pre-meditated plan of ethnic cleansing and settlement that led to the expulsion of 1 million Palestinians and the destruction of over 500 Palestinian villages.

On May 8th, and in the days leading up to Nakba Day, organizations across the U.S. are holding actions in support of the Palestinians in Sheik Jarrah in Jerusalem who continue to fight back against zionist settlers and occupation forces in the face of imminent eviction and ethnic cleansing. 

Despite over 73 years of catastrophe, Palestinians remain steadfast and resilient in defense of our land and of our nation. Palestinian resistance alone has ensured the survival of Palestine, and we are currently witnessing that resistance in the courageous defense of Al-Quds (Jerusalem). 

The Nakba is not a singular historical event, it is a daily process of settler-colonialism whose aim is the complete expulsion of indigenous Palestinians from our land.

From Sheikh Jarrah to Beit Iksa, our people continue to be attacked by zionists and our land stolen. As long as Palestinians live under zionist colonization and cannot return, we must continue to resist with everything we have from wherever we are.

Please join us on May 8th and May 15th by endorsing existing actions, which entails sharing Nakba Day materials with your listservs and social media audiences, or organizing a rally in your area if possible.

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Below we have most of what you need to organize a successful rally in support of Palestine and Palestinian resistance!

#DefendPalestine #RightToReturn #RightToResist #FreePalestine #WithinOurLifetime #SaveSheikhJarrah

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Rally Checklist

This is a non-comprehensive list of what you may need at a rally. You may not need all of these components to have a successful rally but if you have the capacity and resources for the following it will help your action be more successful.

Logistics

• Create a facebook event page 
• Flyer design (we have sample flyers you can use at the bottom)
• Create a standard blurb for people to share on social media. Feel free to use from our introduction.
• Co-sponsor with allied orgs to bring in more resources and support
• Contact legal observers (legal organizations like National Lawyers Guild provide legal observing to rallies across the U.S.) 
• Write a press release to send to local media the night before or early the day of the rally. 
• Organize a press conference with community leaders and organizations to speak about the goals of the rally to the media.
• Have a point media person to coordinate with media for the press conference
• Create a security plan for those that attend the rally to ensure their safety particularly from Zionist disruptors.
• Be prepared to do jail support in case any protesters are arrested.

Outreach

• Campuses: contact student organizations and ask them to share on social media.
• Coalitions: invite any coalitions you may be a part of to not only endorse but attend, speak, and volunteer with security and other demanding tasks.
• Local neighborhood: Not everyone is online. Organize physical outreach if you live near a Palestinian community. Ask local stores to advertise your rally in their windows. Go around and tape flyers to bus stops and give them out to those that may be interested

Follow up

• Internal assessment + debrief 
• Posting Statement + pictures on Social Media/ website

Playlist

Here are some Palestinian resistance songs you may choose to play as folks gather for the rally

Chants

Sign Making Examples