Hundreds of Utahns gathered on the Capitol steps Saturday in support of Palestinian liberation as the Israel-Hamas war continues.
On Oct. 7, Hamas militants attacked Israeli settlements near the border of the Gaza Strip — and in the weeks following, Israel has retaliated with airstrikes. The war has become the deadliest of five Gaza wars for both sides, according to The Associated Press.
Children and adults alike waved Palestinian flags and called for freedom for Palestine. Many said that the war did not begin on Oct. 7 — since they said Palestinians have suffered from Israeli occupation for generations.
(Jordan Miller I The Salt Lake Tribune) Utahns rally in support of a free Palestine at the state capitol on Saturday, Oct. 21, 2023.
“I personally have never seen in my lifetime a victim place its oppressor under siege for 17 years in Gaza,” speaker Tulai Kachar said to the crowd. “What has happened has been a result of 75 years of imprisonment, displacement, physical and emotional torture, and ethnic cleansing. What’s been going on? It’s not something new. We know and we see it happening for decades and decades, while the world is silent, and continues to stay silent.”
The rally followed an event in support of Israel at the state Capitol earlier this month, attended by Gov. Spencer Cox and many other state and local leaders, just days after it was announced a Utah man was killed in the Hamas attacks.
Although Saturday’s rally featured many local activists, it did not receive the same political support — and some counterprotesters also shouted obscenities at the demonstrators while driving around the Capitol. Speakers at the rally urged elected leaders to support Palestinians as they endure retaliatory attacks from Israel.
“You don’t need to be Palestinian or Arab or Muslim to care about what is happening to the Palestinian people right now, and what has been happening for over 70 years,” said Brigham Young University student Sama Salah, co-founder of the BYU Arab Student Association. “Stand on the right side of history, stand with humanity and stand with Palestine and her people.”
