
Peace activists and veterans in the United States ended a 40-day hunger strike in front of the US Permanent Mission to the United Nations in New York on Monday in solidarity with Gaza.
On the final day, the strikers marched from the US Permanent Mission to the United Nations toward the Israeli Consulate in New York, holding signs in support of Palestine.
The group continued their demonstration in front of the Israeli Consulate, chanting slogans such as “Freedom for Palestine,” “Long live the Palestinian resistance,” and “No to supporting Israel.”
Police arrested approximately 20 people for allegedly obstructing traffic as part of security measures in the area.
Mike Werner, one of the strike organizers and former president of Veterans for Peace, poured animal blood on the windows of the US Permanent Mission to the United Nations.
-Advertisement-
During his protest, Werner said, “United States, you who shed blood all over the world, here’s some blood.” New York City police arrived at the scene, handcuffed Werner, and detained him.
Reporting on his 40-day hunger strike before pouring blood onto the building’s windows, Werner said, “I managed to go on a hunger strike for 21 days. I got very sick and almost lost my life. I was in the hospital for six days. If I were in Gaza, I would have died because there was no hospital.”
The hunger strike began on May 20, requiring a daily consumption of fewer than 250 calories. Since October 7, 2023, Israel has been waging a genocidal war in Gaza, including killing, starvation, destruction, and forced displacement, ignoring all international appeals and orders from the International Court of Justice to halt it.
The US-backed genocide left more than 190,000 Palestinians dead and wounded, most of them women and children, and more than 11,000 missing. Hundreds of thousands were displaced, and a famine claimed the lives of many, including dozens of children.