Hundreds of Utahns march for a “Free Palestine” in downtown Salt Lake City 

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• Wes Long
• Hundreds of Utahns rally and march in support of a “Free Palestine."

Hundreds of Utahns gathered near the Matheson Courthouse on Saturday, bundled up against the autumnal weather and carrying signs with messages like “Resistance is not terrorism” and “My country is paying to bomb kids like me.” As their numbers swelled, passing drivers waved from their windows and honked their horns in solidarity with the demonstration, a rally and march in support of a “Free Palestine” and against the ongoing violence in Gaza City.

“Good to see everybody,” emcee Devin Martinez greeted participants with the aid of truck-bed loudspeakers. “Y’all look beautiful today!”

Organized jointly by the Palestinian Solidarity Association of Utah and the Salt Lake branch of the Party for Socialism and Liberation, the event included remarks from local activists, voicing their opposition to military operations in the Gaza Strip and calling for the freedom of Palestinian political prisoners.

The diverse audience included participants of all ages, waving Palestinian flags and images of watermelon slices—a representation of the Palestinian colors.

“We gather as a people of conscience,” declared activist Muna Omar, who decried the deaths of over 10,000 Palestinians by the Israeli government. “This is all done in our name, without our consent, with our hard-earned money.”

The crowd registered their outrage with the “ongoing catastrophe” that began on October 7, the latest hostilities after decades of nationalist struggle between the state of Israel and the indigenous Palestinians displaced in the Levant.

Omar noted that supporters all over the world were increasing in vocal opposition to the war in Gaza, including an enormous demonstration for Palestine in Washington D.C., and, concurrently, this historic show of support in the Beehive State.

“Today will be the largest demonstration for Palestine that Utah will ever see,” she observed with satisfaction.

Other speakers followed, such as Issra, a native of Gaza who related her lived experiences to the crowd and of what recent events have done to dramatically alter both landscape and life in her homeland.

“Gaza is not what people know it to be,” she reported. “It’s a beautiful city where Muslims and Christians live side by side in peace.” She recounted the “intimate bonds” she enjoyed with Palestinians while living an average teenage existence but noted that such a way of life has since been “annihilated” by the military bombardment upon the city by the Israeli government.

According to reporting by Al Jazeera, at least 11,078 Gazans have been killed, over 4,500 of that figure being children. At least 1,405 Israelis and 183 inhabitants of Occupied West Bank have also been killed since the beginning of the Israel-Gaza war.

“We must not let their deaths be in vain,” Issra concluded to cheers.

Additional speakers challenged their listeners to consider what connection the overseas conflict had with colonization and racism around the globe. Some made a point to express displeasure with the Israeli government under Benjamin Netanyahu for its ongoing bombings of Palestinian civilians, and with the State of Utah and the Biden Administration for their support of these military operations. Some pleaded with the governments of the world to listen to their people, others called for all oppressive systems to be torn down.

“As diverse Americans,” one speaker exhorted, taking the example of early America’s Founding Fathers as guides, “we must realize that our foundation was based on liberation and not oppression. As fellow diverse Americans we take a stand for the oppressed and against the oppressors.”

To the shouts and drumbeats of the crowd, the gathering concluded its formal rally and began a march in the streets. As their venue shifted from the open air around the City and County Building to the narrow streets, their voices reverberated up the walls of downtown buildings.

“One, two, three, four,” chanted the crowd, “occupation no more!”

The warmth of the day rapidly gave way to the chill of a November breeze, but the participants appeared unfazed. Some offered their jackets to one another, others smiled in recognizing a familiar face among the procession.

“Don’t you guys remember history?” called out one buzzed onlooker from a nearby tavern, who proceeded to enumerate the years of World War II.

Turning west onto Main Street and making its way north to South Temple, the demonstration culminated in a moment of silence and of prayers for slaughtered Palestinians before the World Trade Center (WTC) building.

Participants posted flyers of individuals killed in the war to the windows of the WTC in a show of opposition, not only to those institutions that would facilitate the trade and traffic of defense contractors and their production of weaponry for this conflict, but also to those who carry stock in such institutions.

“We the people can change things,” said community leader Mustafa Khader earlier that day. “Our interest is freedom and justice and peace.”