As we mark the one-year anniversary of the ongoing genocide in Gaza, AfroResistance—a New York-based regional organization committed to human rights, democracy, and racial justice—mourns the thousands of lives lost, the destruction of homes, and the continued denial of Palestinian human rights and dignity. This anniversary serves as a stark reminder of the global structures of oppression that link the experiences of Palestinians with Black and Indigenous communities across Latin America. The violence inflicted on Gaza parallels the state repression and racial violence Afro-descendants face throughout the Americas.
Throughout Latin America, many of the governments’ ties to Israel's military apparatus have profoundly impacted Afro-descendant communities. Arms deals, surveillance technology, and security training are deployed to control and repress Black communities, reinforcing the region's history of racial violence. These technologies—originally designed for colonial control—are used in the Americas to perpetuate racial profiling, militarized police forces, and monitor activists. The historical parallels are stark: from the enslavement of Africans to modern-day state violence, these collaborations deepen inequality, perpetuate poverty, increase incarceration and lead to the ongoing marginalization of Black communities and populations.
However, recent shifts in the region have offered hope. In May 2024, Colombia, under
President Gustavo Petro, severed diplomatic relations with Israel, calling its actions in Gaza a "genocide." This is an important step, especially given Colombia’s long-standing military agreements with Israel. Yet, this move must go beyond symbolic gestures. AfroResistance emphasizes that true solidarity for governments in Latin America means dismantling the systems of colonialism and imperialism that fuel state violence against both Palestinians and Afro-descendant peoples.
How can Latin American states claim solidarity with Palestine while continuing to use Israeli military technology to oppress their own Black and Indigenous populations? What is the true commitment that these governments have towards racial justice? AfroResistance calls on them to address this deep contradiction and sever all ties that sustain violence and repression. How can countries that perpetuate racial discrimination, land dispossession, and colonial legacies confront their own oppressive systems, which mirror the very injustices they condemn in Palestine? True solidarity requires systemic change, not just symbolic gestures.
We urge all Latin American governments to join Bolivia, Belize, Brazil, Chile, Honduras and Colombia in severing ties with Israel, but we also demand more. We call on these and all states in the region to address their internal systems of racial discrimination and violence, recognizing that the struggle for Palestinian liberation is intimately tied to the fight for Black and Indigenous rights across the Americas.
However, we also understand that beyond state actions, it is the popular masses across our region who must be mobilized to stand with Palestine and fight for the dignity, autonomy, and human rights of Afro-descendant communities throughout Latin America and the African Diaspora. Through our ongoing programs with Black Women and Girls, centering Black Migration and our commitment to campaigns such as the Zone of Peace, AfroResistance will continue working for the liberation of all oppressed peoples, from the barrios of Colombia to the streets of Palestine. True solidarity means organizing for justice, dismantling oppressive systems, and creating a world free from violence and exploitation.
To learn more about AfroResistance, visit www.afroresistance.org
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