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133rd Demonstration in Bil’in – IOF Violence Against Peaceful Demonstration

Bil’in 24 august 2007 video:

The 133rd consecutive demonstration against the illegal apartheid wall in bil’in took place today. The illegal wall segregates Palestinian farmers from their legitimately owned land depriving them of their livlihood and their economic means of survival.

With approximately 100 demonstrators participating, of these around 50 were international and Israeli, and the other 50 Palestinian, the demonstrated got underway following friday prayers at the local mosque. The demonstrators marched towards the olive groves chanting against the Wall, the occuption and the oppression they faced. Without reaching even 100 meters of the wall soldiers unleashed a barrage of tear gas and sound grenades at the non-violant group.

The demonstration lasted 1 hour and a half. During that time the demonstrators tried to persevere, despite the suffocating tear gas, and pushed on through to continue their demonstration. As the level of violance inflicted by the IOF steadily escalated, Palestinian youth responded to the military violance by exercising their legitimate right to resist the occupation and threw stones in response to the rubber bullets fired at them through the olive groves.

At one point, demonstrators were within 20 meters of the soldiers, and trying to reduce the aggression they faced, they sat down peacefully on the road. The soldiers replied by hurling 5 teargas bombs into the middle of the group of demonstrators. This caused the group to disperse leaving a few demonstrators behind. In the commotion caused by the soldiers, one Israeli activst was detained by the soldiers and dragged away.

The demonstrators eventually left in the same peaceful fashion that they arrived. Thankfully nobody was hurt.