International ANSWER, one of the leading organizers of antiwar protests in the United States, has begun openly and vociferously to support Palestinian terrorists. ANSWER has played a key role in inserting anti-Israel sentiment into the antiwar movement, which has led to extreme invective against Israel during protests.

The ANSWER (Act Now to Stop War and End Racism) Coalition, created by the New York-based International Action Center (IAC), has organized scores of antiwar rallies in the U.S. since September 2001, often attracting protestors by the tens of thousands. Its largest and most disturbing event was the April 20, 2002, "National March for Palestine Against War and Racism," in Washington, D.C. Attracting approximately 200,000 demonstrators, the rally served as a vehicle for supporters of violence and anti-Semitic terror organizations such as Hezbollah, whose flag flew from the speakers´ podium.

ANSWER recently announced plans for a march on Washington, D.C. scheduled for Saturday, June 5, with "solidarity protests" taking place the same day in San Francisco and Los Angeles.

Recent ANSWER rallies have included expressions of support for Palestinian terrorism and terrorist leaders. On April 18, 2004, ANSWER leadership participated in a spontaneous rally in New York memorializing the prominent Hamas leader, Abdel Aziz Rantisi. Rantisi was called "a symbol of resistance against a racist apartheid regime." Protestors held signs with messages like "What´s next Sharon. Ovens!!"

On March 23, 2004, along with the pro-Palestinian groups Al-Awda and New Jersey Solidarity, ANSWER co-sponsored an "emergency rally" outside the Israel consulate in New York following the killing of longtime Hamas leader Sheik Ahmed Yassin. Speakers memorialized Yassin while the crowd chanted "Hey hey, ho ho, Hamas will never go" and "Long live jihad." One speaker, a member of the pro-Palestinian group Al-Awda, extolled Sheikh Yassin and other terrorist leaders, saying, "We are here with you standing hand in hand."

The Yassin and Rantisi demonstrations followed a December 2003 conference in Cairo that gathered ANSWER leaders and hundreds of international and Arab activists to support "acts of resistance in Iraq and Palestine." Former U.S. Attorney General Ramsey Clark, IAC´s founder, along with the group´s co-director Sara Flounders and Elias Rashmawi of ANSWER, organized the conference. The ANSWER delegation met with Osama Hamdan, who heads Hamas´s operation in Lebanon and openly supports suicide bombing. Hamdan had been invited by the event´s sponsors, the International Campaign Against U.S. and Zionist Occupations, a movement co-founded and partly led by the IAC. ANSWER is the antiwar arm of the IAC.

Chronology of ANSWER Events:

April 18, 2004: In New York City, ANSWER leaders joined Al-Awda, New Jersey Solidarity and the International Action Center (IAC) to protest the killing of Hamas leader Abdel Aziz Rantisi . Protesters marched to the consulate from Hunter College, where Al-Awda had been holding its annual convention. Abbas Hamideh, a coordinator for Al- Awda, told a crowd of about 100 that Rantisi "was a leader who defended and fought for Palestinian rights." Signs waved by the crowd included "What´s next Sharon. Ovens!!," "Globalize the Intifada" and "All of Israel is ´occupied territory.´" An Al-Awda representative, Rama Kased, lauded the Hamas leader: "Abdel Aziz Rantisi was a son of Palestine, a refugee, and a symbol of resistance against a racist apartheid regime."

March 23, 2004: In response to the assassination of Hamas leader Sheikh Ahmed Yassin, ANSWER called for an emergency protest outside the Israeli consulate in New York City. Participants expressed their admiration for Yassin, the Intifada, Hamas, and other Palestinian terrorist groups. One speaker praised terrorist leaders Ali Mustapha (the secretary general of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine), Abu Jihad (the PLO military chief killed in 1988) and Sheikh Yassin, saying, "Ali Mustapha, Abu Jihad, Sheikh Yassin, we are here with you standing hand in hand." The crowd cheered him on and later chanted, "Hey hey, Ho ho, Hamas will never go," "Long live Jihad," "Victory to the Intifada," and "Sheikh Yassin Rest in Peace, Israel will never sleep."

March 20, 2004: ANSWER organized major antiwar demonstrations in New York City and San Francisco to coincide with antiwar rallies against the war in Iraq across the United States and the world. Other antiwar groups led by United for Peace and Justice, the other major protest organizer, initially intended to focus solely on the situation in Iraq, but ANSWER organized a coalition of anti-Israel groups who petitioned the mainstream antiwar movement to include an anti-Zionist message at there events. United for Peace and Justice eventually acceded, and anti-Israel messages pervaded the demonstrations.

Al-Awda, International Solidarity Movement, and other pro-Palestinian groups waved Palestinian flags, while some chanted "Intifada Intifada, Long Live the Intifada." The anti-Israel presence was even more dominant at the nearly 10,000-strong rally in San Francisco. Signs and messages included "No blood for Israel," "I want you to die for Israel. Israel Sings: Onward Christian Soldiers," "I Love NYC even more without the World Trade Center," and a model Israeli tank with dollars dripping blood and the sign, "Paid for with US tax dollars."

Many conspiracy theorists attended the New York City and San Francisco protests. A group called the 9/11 Truth Alliance, which contends that the Bush administration staged the attacks, distributed signs saying "Stop the 9-11 Cover-Up" at both rallies. It also handed out "deception dollars," large replicas of paper currency covered with links to conspiracy and also anti-Israel and anti-Semitic Web sites. While some conspiratorial groups were present at past rallies, their profile was much higher at the March 20th demonstrations.

December 2003: At the Second International Cairo Conference, ANSWER leaders met with Hamas leader Osama Hamdan. Hamdan, who heads Hamas in Lebanon and openly supports suicide bombing, was invited to the conference by the event´s sponsors, the International Campaign Against U.S. and Zionist Occupations, a movement co-founded by the IAC. Former U.S. Attorney General Ramsey Clark, who heads the IAC, co- director Sara Flounders, and Elias Rashmawi of ANSWER all served as organizers for the conference.

March 15th, 2003: ANSWER antiwar rallies across the U.S. marked the reappearance of prominent pro-Palestinian and anti-Israel protesting at a major anti-war rally, which had not been seen since the April 2002 ANSWER rally. Signs at the Washington, D.C., rally stated, "Never forget the Palestinians" and "Free Palestine: Stop US AID to Israeli Terror." In Los Angeles: "Stop the Occupation," and in San Francisco there were messages that likened President Bush to Hitler and proclaimed "No Blood for Oil or Israel." In Washington, D.C., many speakers mentioned that the antiwar movement needed to be in solidarity with the Palestinian movement, and several speakers focused their remarks on criticizing Israel or supporting Palestinian independence rather than address a war in Iraq.

February 2003: Though well known for his public criticism of Israeli policies, Rabbi Michael Lerner of Tikkun was barred by ANSWER from speaking at a February 15th antiwar rally in San Francisco because he is a Zionist.

December 18-19, 2002: ANSWER solidified its support for the destruction of Israel at the first anti-Zionist International Cairo Conference. This event produced a document, the "Cairo Declaration Against U.S. Hegemony and War on Iraq and In Solidarity with Palestine" held in Cairo, Egypt. This document defines Palestinian terrorist acts as legitimate acts of liberation, and also states that all participants in the movement must reaffirm their "resolve to stand in solidarity with the people of Iraq and Palestine, recognizing that war and aggression against them is but part of a U.S. project of global domination and subjugation." In addition, the declaration calls for boycotts of U.S. and Israeli goods in support of Iraq and Palestine, with emphasis on the right of return for Palestinians.

April 20, 2002: ANSWER organized in Washington, D.C. the "National March for Palestine Against War and Racism." The massive rally was attended by approximately 200,000 people, including thousands of pro- Palestinian demonstrators. The rally served as a forum for supporting violence and terror organizations, and for a proliferation of anti- Semitic expression. The ANSWER coalition moved up the date of its rally to April 20 to coincide with anti-globalization demonstrations, which were organized to protest the IMF and World Bank. (© 2004 Anti-Defamation League 06/02/04)