By ALEXANDRIA

BOURNONVILLE

Journal Staff Writer

MARQUETTE — Dozens of people attended a protest Saturday in Marquette to address the conflict between Israel and Palestine.

“Since Oct. 7, over 27,000 civilians have been killed in Gaza. If we were to devote one second to each of those lives, our moment of silence would have lasted for seven and a half hours,” said local activist Ian Watson.

Including Watson, a protest volunteer and organizer, approximately 50 people engaged in a peaceful protest calling for a cease-fire in Gaza due to the conflict deemed the Israel-Hamas War.

The event was organized independently of any community organization and was motivated by the perceived need to spread awareness of the violence Palestinians are experiencing.

The group, starting at the Lower Harbor bell tower, moved toward Harlow Park carrying signs bearing the Palestinian flag and slogans such as “Free Palestine” or “Cease-fire now.”

At the corner of Third and Washington streets, protesters called out, “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free,” a well-known pro-Palestinian chant calling for the liberation of the territory formerly known as Palestine.

Others called out to “End the siege on Gaza now” or to remove “Genocide Joe” Biden from office due to his support for Israel.

Watson, in his statement at the Harlow Park vigil, said that though he is not Palestinian himself, he stands for their liberation.

“I have not had the heart-wrenching experiences of watching my people die on camera, losing contact with friends and family members or watching the world turn a blind eye to the suffering of my people,” he said. “This, however, does not mean that we should refrain from speaking up.”

According to Watson, the attack on Palestinians is considered genocide. He said Article 2 of the United Nations Genocide Convention defines genocide as a “crime committed with the intent to destroy a national, ethnic, racial or religious group, in part or in whole.”

“The people of Gaza have been cut off from food, water and medical aid,” he said. “Their population is facing imminent risk of famine, and they do not have the proper medical supplies or infrastructure to treat the sick or wounded. Civilian infrastructure has been targeted for months, crippling the population’s ability to safely evade violence. U.N. shelters, schools, hospitals, refugee camps and places of worship have been destroyed all over the Gaza Strip.”

Palestinian deaths outnumber the entire population of Marquette. He urged listeners to think of the size of Marquette, their friends and family, and understand the widespread nature of the violence being enacted toward Palestinians.

Another volunteer at the protest, Alex Kahn, called attention to targeted telecom blackouts in Gaza. She urged attendees to inform themselves about the Connecting Humanity campaign, created by activist Mirna El Helbawi, that provides eSIM cards to phones owned by those in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank.

Statements at Harlow Park were interrupted by an unidentified man who challenged the viewpoints of those protesting. He accused the crowd of being anti-Semitic, hurled anti-LGBT slurs and continually tried to yell louder than the vigil’s speaker at any given time.

In accordance with the event’s goals — to keep the event peaceful and avoid violence of any kind — the crowd paused and continued their chants in an effort to discourage the man’s behavior, eventually causing him to walk away.

The protest finished off with poetry read by a volunteer named Bri as well as a call to action for those attending to write to their representatives, donate to Palestinians and learn more about the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions Movement organization.

Future protests are being planned.

Alexandria Bournonville can be reached at 906-228-2500, ext. 506. Her email address is abournonville@miningjournal.net.