Thousands of protesters marched in Minneapolis Sunday to express support for the Palestinian cause just a week after Hamas terrorists invaded Israel, killing more than 1,400 people.
Protesters carried signs with slogans such as, “Victory to the Palestinian resistance,” “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free,” and “Resistance is justified when people are occupied,” according to videos and images posted on social media. Others held signs with an x through an image of the Israeli flag.
🇵🇸🇵🇸🇵🇸
FRSO is proud to have been out in the streets as part of the amazing outpouring for Palestine today in Uptown Minneapolis, joining with huge marches around the world!
🇵🇸🇵🇸🇵🇸 pic.twitter.com/Ihai48uB6E— Freedom Road Socialist Organization – Twin Cities (@FRSO_TwinCities) October 16, 2023
At the front of the march, which began at Bryant Square Park and reportedly drew a crowd of thousands, was a banner with the words “End Apartheid” alongside a logo for the Minnesota chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR). According to The Washington Free Beacon, a founding member of CAIR’s Dallas branch provided support to Hamas, a designated terrorist organization.
Left-wing organizations hold anti-Israel protests today in Minneapolis: pic.twitter.com/2sOF2iSyZ5
— Alpha News (@AlphaNewsMN) October 16, 2023
At least one elected official, Minneapolis City Council Member Jeremiah Ellison, attended Sunday’s protest. “There is one side calling to end genocide and apartheid, and it is racially, religiously and ethnically diverse. There is a side cheering on the butchering … and it’s broadly white and racist,” Ellison wrote on X.
Truly amazing turnout. Minnesota stands with Palestine even if our elected officials won’t. https://t.co/Rr7hVohQuL
— MN Anti-War Committee (@AntiwarMN) October 16, 2023
Protesters also plan to hold a demonstration Oct. 18 at the Minnesota State Capitol to oppose Gov. Tim Walz’s silence “on the 75 year occupation of Palestine, and on the war crimes Israel is committing right now.”
Meanwhile, on Wednesday, a crowd gathered on the steps of the Capitol to stand in “solidarity with Israel.”
“Israelis, American Jews, and Christians came together with American and Israeli flags to express their support for Israel and solidarity with the Jewish people in these difficult times, after the country suffered from a horrific terror attack, during a Jewish holiday. The Palestinian Hamas organization, which was designated as a terror organization by the U.S. State Department many years ago, infiltrated Israeli military bases and civilian communities on the southern border, murdering civilians, burning down homes with families, and committing brutal atrocities,” Students Supporting Israel, which helped organize the demonstration, said in a statement.
Minnesota Sen. Ron Latz, DFL-St. Louis Park, spoke at the event where attendees observed a moment of silence in memory of the victims and prayed for those who were abducted by Hamas.
