SPOKANE, Wash. – Protesters gathered on the sidelines at Bloomsday to stand in solidarity with Palestine.
The protesters were from organizations that include The Party for Socialism and Liberation in Spokane or Asians for Collective Liberation in Spokane.
There were two groups of protesters at High Bridge Park and A.M. Cannon Park.
“Being in celebration…there’s people dying in Gaza because of our government. Because of our tax dollars. Because of our City. We have Fairchild Air Force Base that’s just right over there, and that’s one of the biggest ways we send weapons and money and resources to Israel,” Ka’din Rahman, a protester, said.
The protesters said they are calling on The City of Spokane to demand a ceasefire and liberation for Palestinian people.
“I just think it’s really sad that they’ve chosen to politicize what should be a fun, family, community event,” Juliet Barenti, a member of Inland Empire for Israel, said.
The protesters said that because of the thousands of people running Bloomsday and the significance of the event for the City, they believe Bloomsday was the prime time to get their message out.
“It’s events like his where we’re celebrating. It’s a big thing for Spokane. They make money off of this. So, it gets a lot of peoples eyes…on a City that not a lot of people look at. So, it’s important to take a stand when we have this platform,” Rahman said.
Spokane Police Department officers were present at the protest.
The protest was peaceful.
