US activists gathered on the lawn of New York City Hall and pledged to continue their protests until an immediate and lasting ceasefire is reached in Gaza.
Speakers at the 24-hour rally, which was supported by many non-governmental organizations, called on the US to stop supporting Israel and tried to make their voices heard by New York Mayor Eric Adams and city council members.
Some Jewish-Americans living in New York loudly stated that Israel is committing “genocide” in Gaza and that they do not want to support it with their tax dollars.
Activists laid a giant banner with the names of tens of thousands of civilians killed in Gaza on the sidewalk in front of the town hall and chanted “Free Palestine”, “Ceasefire, now”, “Don’t send our taxes to Israel”, “Don’t support genocide”.
Speakers called for an “immediate and lasting” ceasefire
Burhan Carroll, an attorney with the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), said in a statement, “All we are asking for is an immediate and lasting ceasefire against the genocide in Gaza. We ask our local politicians who have not yet signed the ceasefire resolution to do so immediately.”
“I hope, God willing, that there will be a time when we will no longer have to die for Palestine and Gaza,” Carroll said, adding that he found what US soldier Aaron Bushnell, who set himself on fire in the capital Washington on Sunday to protest Israel’s killing of civilians in Gaza, did “very brave.”
“I am here as a Jew, as a Rabbi and as a citizen of Israel because as a Jew, it is an important religious and cultural belief for me not to kill people and to understand that every human being is part of the divine,” said Rabbi Abby Stein, a New York woman who spoke in support of Palestinians.
“Over $100 million in tax revenue from the New York City Council goes to the federal government to support Israel,” Stein said, adding that the New York Police Department’s partnership with the Israeli government and police should be ended.
Stein, who is also an educator and writer, pointed to the upcoming month of Ramadan as a good time to “think about the millions of starving people in Gaza” and to encourage people to collect food and money for Gaza.
