Originally published in the Autumn 2024 edition of the Virginia Defender, issue 75, printed November 6. Reproduced here for accessibility and archival purposes. To find other stories in the Autumn 2024 issue or to download the full PDF, see this post. For other issues dating back to 2012, see the Full Issues page.

By Danielle DiBlasio

Despite organizing in an increasingly hostile and repressive environment, pro-Palestinian activism across the Commonwealth is strong, growing and adapting to ever-changing obstacles imposed by the state.

Some of those challenges include an increased number of arrests and new campus policies at Virginia universities aimed at suppressing dissent.

While publicly visible actions like large-scale, weekly marches have waned in frequency, many organizations across Virginia are now focusing their efforts on boycott and divestment campaigns, as well as lobbying politicians.

Virginia for Palestine, Alexandria for Palestine and the Virginia Coalition for Human Rights have their sights on dismantling the Virginia Israel Advisory Board. Established in 1996, the VIAB is an entity embedded within Virginia state government, with the goal of bringing Israeli businesses to the Commonwealth.

VIAB is the only state agency set up to promote business with a particular country, diverting millions of grant dollars away from Virginia businesses to benefit Israeli corporations.

Asked about short- and long-term goals of this effort to dismantle VIAB, a representative of Virginia for Palestine/Alexandria for Palestine responded:

“While the dismantling of VIAB is ultimately achieved through the legislative process, we believe we need to engage in education, advocacy, civil disobedience, and so on.

“Our short term goals include meeting with VA representatives and community education. At the core of our collective, we do truly believe that community members are what make this advocacy possible. In order to advocate for the dismantling of VIAB, we have to make sure that everyone knows how VIAB operates.

“This advisory board is not only tying our state taxes to genocide and apartheid, but it puts foreign interests above the interests of Virginians. As a collective, we understand that this is going to be a long process and we are transparent about that. We are also dedicated to this effort and have many organizers working on education, meeting with legislators, and assisting in our efforts.

“Ultimately, we know that we are up against a legislative system that is upholding apartheid and genocide over its own constituents. We also know that Virginians, of all backgrounds, deserve to have their communities thrive and VIAB is in direct contrast to that.”

The Virginia Coalition for Human Rights has been following the activities of VIAB since 2016 and has lobbied the General Assembly yearly on the issue. The coalition currently is focused on scheduling educational meetings with legislators before the next session of the GA starts in January.

The DMV (D.C./Maryland/ Virginia) chapter of the Palestinian Youth Movement has initiated the “Mask Off Maersk” campaign, aimed at pressuring the Maersk international shipping company to stop transporting weapons to Israel.

PYM has created and distributed a petition to call attention to Maersk’s complicity in Israel’s genocide of Palestinians and has engaged in rallies across the state. On Oct. 24, Hampton Roads for Palestine supported this initiative by holding a protest in front of Maersk’s Norfolk headquarters.

In Richmond, No Votes for Genocide VA has created a campaign to gauge the responses of local candidates for Richmond City Council, School Board, and mayor to a questionnaire regarding Israel’s assault on Gaza.

The group has published a tracker so the public can view how candidates have responded to questions like “Do you commit to meeting with your constituents about the war in Gaza when requested?”

In addition, No Votes for Genocide has designed a social media campaign on Instagram to encourage people to demand that candidates running in their districts respond to the questionnaire.

This is not to say that acts of civil disobedience have ceased to be used as tools of dissent. Most recently, in the early morning hours of Oct. 29, two large banners were affixed to the abandoned Southern States factory overlooking the James River in Richmond’s Manchester neighborhood.

One banner called attention to the year-long genocide of Palestinians paid for by U.S. tax dollars. The second read, “Globalize the Intifada,” a statement calling for international solidarity with the Palestinian people.