THE INVITATION: Back to Bil'in - Mass Demo, This Friday, Oct. 27th This coming Friday, October 27th, a large demonstration will be held in Bil'in, for the first time in a long period. Please join us and come to support the people of Bil'in in their just struggle in this critical time. Together we shall call: No to the wall! No to separation No to land grab! Please sign up today to the demonstration: INVITING: The Israeli-Palestinian Coalition Against the Fence: The Popular Committees against the Wall and Settlements in the West Bank, The Poplar Committee-Bilin, Gush-Shalom, Ta'ayush, Women's Coalition for Peace, Yesh Gvul, New Profile, Yesh Din, Balad, ICAHD, Hadash, Maki, Banki, The Student Coalition -Tel Aviv University, Anarchists Against Walls.
THE DEMONSTRATION: At noon, we started... about 300 participants - Israelis (with part of us having to defy harassment of Israeli state forces on the way to Bil'in), Internationals, and Palestinians from the village and from out of it. We marched and chanted carrying few leaders, with Palestinian flags, and whistles and "drams".
When we arrived at the blocked gate to the route of the separation fence and the Bil'in lands West of it, the commander declared as usual that the area is a closed military zone.
While most of us challenged the state force verbally, few of us used the leaders to cross the ditch bordering the route of the separation fence and the barbed wire protecting the fence of the route, and put a ladder on the second line. The state forces expressed their objection to that act with sporadic shock grenade and from time to time even tear gas canisters - some of them were hurled back and prevented the soldiers from harsher measures.
After about half an hour of low level confrontation, the stone throwers decided that our nonviolent demonstration reached its end. Behind our backs which protected them from rubber coated bullets, they started to throw stones on the Israeli state force and the demonstrators who stood near them.
As usual, the state forces started to disperse the nonviolent demonstration with shock grenades and tear gas canisters. The village comity declared the demonstration as finished, and called the people to return to the village. The majority of us escaped from the gate to a not far away point on the road with some defying the state forces and staying behind.
The state forces continue to harass us even after the stone throwers fled and as the wind blew the tear gas towards us we had to return hastily to the village.
During the confrontation with the state forces few of demonstrators were injured (two of them more seriously) and two Israelis were detained and released about an hour after the end of the demonstration.
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