Protesters rally for Palestine; call on elected officials outside of City Hall

Rochester, New York – On Saturday, in the pouring rain, about a hundred protesters came together to demand a ceasefire in Gaza.

As we continue to cover world events, a fresh agreement for a short-term ceasefire between Israel and Hamas is being negotiated.

The latest event coincides with the United States’ ongoing airdrops of humanitarian aid into Gaza; nonetheless, a grassroots coalition of demonstrators gathered outside Rochester’s City Hall on Saturday argue that this is just insufficient.

As the fighting approaches its sixth month, the organization Rochester Committee to End Apartheid urged local officials to seek a ceasefire and stop US military assistance to Israel. At Rochester City Hall, dozens of individuals, many of them representing grassroots organizations, congregated wearing rain gear and umbrellas.

Among the hundreds of “Hands Off Rafah” Global Day of Action gatherings taking place in localities worldwide. The United States is currently assisting Jordan in the region by dropping aid.

For locals, where the U.N. reports that half a million people are in severe famine, it’s a minor setback. The group demanded a cease-fire from elected leaders at the federal and city council levels on Saturday at City Hall.

According to a spokesman, people who spoke out are angry that Israel has received billions of federal funds.

“People are feeling a lot of grief and a lot of rage. They need a place to congregate, to express that, and to tell our elected officials that we care about this and we need them to do something about that,” Zora Gussow with the Rochester Committee to End Apartheid said. “They have a direct say in this. They could take a different stance, and work to find a peaceful solution for a permanent cease-fire, and they’re not doing that. And so, we’re trying to get out the word in any way possible that this is not what the people of Rochester want.”

Stanley Martin, a member of the Rochester City Council, was present at the protest. She expressed her pride and stated that she intended to present a cease-fire resolution at City Hall later this month.