Herd of Elephants Thunders Into Berkeley City Council Meeting

Photos: Leon Kunstenaar

(Berkeley, March 11) - Activists and supporters brought a long "red line" with the names and ages of murdered Palestinian children to the meeting of the Berkeley City Council. The cloth red line stood for the ethical one that has been violated by the ongoing Israeli genocidal assault on Palestine and by its US enablers. It had a powerful impact.

Wordlessly standing at the back of the room, no shouting, the action silently dominated the proceedings, making awkward the orderly discussions about parking meters, traffic patterns, debate procedures, etc.

In fact, Berkeley Mayor Adena Lishi came down from her exhaulted position, literately and symbolically, to inform the crowd that a special meeting would be held to address the activists' issues.

Organizer Cynthia Papermaster also distributed hamantaschen, food associated with the Jewish celebration of Purim, to show that the life affirming values of Judaism has nothing to do with the Zionists.

As both spectators and public officials munched on the cookies, there was a noticeable relaxation of the normally austere atmosphere of city government proceedings.

See all high resolution photos here.