Thousands of People Attend Protest in D.C. in Solidarity with Palestinians

Fatima Masood|June 12, 2021

On May 29, a protest for Palestinian liberation occured at the Lincoln Memorial–a place known as a symbol of the United States virtue of equality. Outraged people came from all over the country to Washington D.C. to speak out for Palestine after recent violence by the Israeli government against Palestinians.

Gathered in masses on the steps and grounds of the memorial, people chanted and called upon Congress to take action. Children and adults alike of ethnicities of all kinds were included as speakers, singers, and protesters showing their solidarity.

Nourisha Jalal took a train from Denver, Colorado solely to attend the protest. Her friend from North Carolina also joined her in D.C. Jalal believes that action at the nation’s capital is necessary, stating, “the countries need to stand up for each other.” She thinks that protesting, using her voice, and doing whatever she can is something that is morally mandatory.

Washington, DC isn’t the only place that protests have happened. Protests have taken place in other big cities such as New York City and Chicago. As a result, Palestinian detainees, including those from Sheikh Jarrah, were released after immense public pressure was put on the Biden administration to take action and cut all monetary ties with Israel.

A sophomore at Centennial High School, Muhammad Bolsen, is a Palestinian-American who never hesitates to talk about and protest for his country. Like Jalal, he believes it’s his job to “defend the voiceless and be brave for those who lost their lives breathing for Palestine’s freedom.” Muhammad also compared the treatment of Palestinian to that of indigenous Americans, calling the Israeli government the “colonizers of modern-day trying to tell [Palestinians] that indigenous people aren’t worthy of life”.

Bolsen states that Palestinians and their allies are in the millions and all across the globe. He says, “all this does is fuel our motivation to see a free Palestine and liberate the people. We’re not going anywhere.”