October 20, 2023
“We Are the Voices of Gazan Citizens Right Now”
By Peter Lucas
Hundreds of Palestinian Americans and supporters from Cincinnati, Ohio, gathered in Ziegler Park. “My city no longer exists. My village is no longer there.”
On October 14, hundreds of Palestinians, Muslims, and supporters of the fight for Palestinian liberation gathered in Cincinnati’s Ziegler Park. The rally was organized by the University of Cincinnati’s Students for Justice in Palestine, but the attendees offered a diverse snapshot of Ohio’s Palestinian and Muslim community ranging widely in age, gender, and ethnicity. People waved Palestinian flags, and placards that read “Free Palestine,” “End All U.S Aid to Israel,” and “From the River to the Sea, Palestine Will Be Free.”
“The situation cannot be described as an open air prison, since it implies that the Palestinians have committed a crime. Actually, Gaza can be described as an extermination camp,” said the rally’s first speaker. “Palestinians are facing genocide, as the whole world is silent to their suffering, and the potential final moments of their lives.”
Nadine Saleh, a 24-year-old protester, said she was in Ziegler Park to “show that I stand against oppression.” Saleh was raised in the United States, but her parents were born in Palestine. “It’s very sad to see all the images online, but that must not deter us from going out and advocating for those people. Because right now they are cut off from electricity, water, and food, and we are the voices of Gazan citizens right now.”
