JACKSON TOWNSHIP, NJ – It was meant to be a place to remember American servicemembers who served and gave their lives. On Sunday, it became the scene of a pro-Palestinian protest as flags of the U.S. services were taken down. Instead, the flag of Palestine waved across the memorial.
The curators of the Jackson Veterans Memorial Garden took down the flags of the four branches of service, Marine Corps, Army, Navy, and Air Force, ahead of the protest to protect them from vandalism.
At around 4 pm, some protesters arrived, a few dozen at most, wrapped in keffiyehs and waving signs supporting Palestine and denouncing Israel. They chanted “Free Palestine” and anti-Israeli messages.
They were also outnumbered. A counter-protest showed up, waving Israeli and American flags. Those flags outnumbered the Pro-Palestinian Flags.
The protest effectively shut down the memorial garden, a sacred place in the community that honors those who served and defended America.
Police were forced to close the parking lot and block off the streets to the park. Jackson Police Chief Matthew Kunz ensured vehicles didn’t enter the park as the protest progressed, even turning away the media as his officers kept a close eye on the protest.
Protesters stood atop marble memorials inscribed with the names of fallen veterans, war heroes, and local veterans. The engraved cobblestones, with names of local veterans, were trampled on by the anti-Israeli mob that had gathered.
As CNN would say, the protest was ‘mostly peaceful’ and by 5 pm, the crowd continued to grow.
The protesters chose Jackson Township due to its large Orthodox Jewish population. Jackson, far removed from the front lines of college campuses and big cities, has no other direct connection to Israel.
Community members believe the choice of Jackson Township for the rally was to do nothing but provoke the local Jewish community. It is uncertain why organizers chose to desecrate a war memorial to host their protest.
