More than a dozen protesters gathered last Friday at the intersection of Belvidere and Broad streets to condemn the Israeli military’s recent ground operation in Gaza and the ongoing conflict.

Signs, posters and a flag were carried by a diverse group of participants, including Palestinian-American and Jewish-American residents, a military veteran and other citizens throughout the early morning.

All attendees were critical of the conflict, the human toll and the United States’ role, and called for an end to the war with chants that could be heard over the traffic, as drivers passing by occasionally honked their horns in support.

“We will continue to push on many fronts,” Chesterfield resident Adeeb Abed said. “We will continue to protest, we will continue to push our elected officials to take a stand, we will call them out on every step, on every bill, on every cent that they support to support this genocide.”

The protest was sponsored by the Virginia Defenders for Freedom Justice & Equality, Richmond for Palestine and the Virginia Commonwealth University chapter of Students for Justice in Palestine and came days after the ground operation in Gaza began.

The demonstration was the latest in a series of protests in Richmond responding to the war, including an encampment at VCU last year that ended with police dispersing the crowd and arresting 13 people on charges of unlawful assembly and trespassing. Those charges were later dropped in the following months. 

Rallies and student walkouts protesting the conflict have continued to be held in Richmond since, and the war has been among the issues discussed during assemblies hosted by groups such as 50501 Virginia. Residents also have brought their concerns to Richmond officials during City Council meetings.

 Several Richmond organizations — including Richmond for Palestine, the VCU chapter of Students for Justice in Palestine, and the Virginia Defenders for Freedom, Justice & Equality — gather at the intersection of Broad and Belvidere streets on Friday, May 23, to protest the Israeli ground operation in the Gaza Strip.
 Photo by Julianne Tripp Hillian/Richmond Free Press  

A key focus of last Friday’s protest was U.S. support for the Israeli military, with attendees criticizing the use of their tax dollars and questioning the ethics of American involvement in this and other Middle East conflicts.

Attendees also voiced concern over the government prioritizing war funding while affordable healthcare, housing and other critical needs remain unmet across the country.

"If we are the wealthiest nation on the planet, and if this is supposed to be the most powerful nation on the planet, then why aren’t we solving the problems?” Virginia Defenders and Sacred Ground Project member Ana Edwards asked. “Why are we constantly feeding into the chaos?”

A 5K event supporting mental health services for refugee children in Gaza is scheduled for Saturday, May 31, from 9 a.m. to noon, beginning at the Vita Course in Byrd Park.