Stop the Genocide banner hung on El Capitan in protest against Gaza war

On Monday 17 June a California-based grassroots collective demanding a free Palestine hung a banner reading "Stop the Genocide" from El Capitan in Yosemite National Park. The climbers belonging to the Climbers for Palestine group ascended circa halfway up The Nose to unfurl the banner and fix it to the rock on El Cap Tower for a 24-hour protest.

Speaking to the San Francisco Chronicle, Emily Weinstein, a Jewish American writer who co-founded the collective, explained "We’re taking our message to the most iconic climb in the most-visited valley in one of the most-visited national parks. We want to use the space and scale of Yosemite to spread our message."

Miranda Oakley, a Palestinian American professional climber and guide who co-founded Climbers With Palestine with Weinstein, stated "We are using our climbing skills to demand an end to Israel’s genocide in Gaza and the brutal apartheid and its occupation of Palestine."

The collective is calling on the U.S. government to stop funding Israel’s military campaign in Gaza. Since 7 October 2023 the Israel–Hamas war has, according to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), resulted in the killing of over 37,000 Palestinians and 1,200 Israelis. Over 85,000 Palestinians and 5,400 Israelis are reported injured, while it is estimated that over 1.7 million people have been displaced in Gaza as a result of the conflict.

Further info: www.climbing.com

 

 

 

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Brooke Anderson (she/her) (@movementphotographer)