Thousands of activists calling for an end to Israel's war on Gaza have concluded a three-day conference in Detroit, Michigan. The second annual People's Conference for Palestine brought together grassroots organisers, students and community leaders to strategise on transforming public awareness of the conflict into tangible action.

Detroit

Israel and Iran have agreed a ceasefire after a twelve day conflict. Meanwhile, Israel strikes in Gaza continue with the humanitarian crisis deepening.

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The Second People's Conference for Palestine, held in Detroit, brought together thousands of organizers and activists to discuss strategies for transforming public recognition of the Israel-Gaza conflict into concrete action. While student protest encampments have been removed from U.S. universities, speakers noted that the movement remains active through political education and coalition-building.

Participants at the conference focused on intensifying political pressure, particularly within the Democratic Party, and advocating for direct action to halt U.S. weapons transfers. The event also drew connections between the conflict in Gaza and broader issues such as inequality, racism, and political corruption, emphasizing the importance of democratic accountability in U.S. policy decisions.

People’s Conference for Palestine ends with call to action

Thanks, in large part, to the work of grassroots activism, the reality of Israeli violence, armed and funded by Washington, has broken through to the U.S. public. As Israel began its assault on Gaza, it was student protest encampments at U.S. universities that first grabbed national attention. One of the messages at the Second People's Conference for Palestine is that, though the encampments have been swept away, often quite brutally, by authorities, the student movement is still active. The student movement is not only encampments, it's not only protests, there's a lot going into political education, into building communities, building cross-movement solidarity across different movements, and this is happening. So much of the discussion here is about how to transform U.S. public recognition of the Israeli genocide into action, for example, by intensifying the already tangible unease of the Democratic Party over Israel heading into the midterm elections, or embarking on direct action at the local level to stop the U.S. weapons flow. We're ready to go. Ultimately, we're going to leave this conference with action in mind, not statements, not slogans, none of that. We brought together thousands of organizers, activists, people who have actual bases of support back home, looking for direction. Activists are also connecting the Gaza genocide to other issues of concern to the American public, such as inequality, racism, political corruption, and distrust of mainstream media. Ultimately, this is about U.S. democracy itself. The message is that politicians shouldn't be able to ignore a majority of their constituents when they demand an end to the genocide. Shia Bertansi, Al Jazeera, Detroit.

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People’s Conference for Palestine ends with call to action

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