Mia Cortés Castro, Contributing Photographer

Over 150 people gathered at the New Haven Green on Saturday to call for a ceasefire in Gaza.

The protest was organized by the New Haven branch of a pro-ceasefire umbrella organization Shut It Down For Palestine. The event included a march down Chapel Street and speeches from three speakers from New Haven organizations who urged citizens back to action protesting in favor of a ceasefire after a lull in activism during the holidays. 

“We in the U.S. refuse to be complicit in our government’s financial and political support of this war,” Chris Garaffa, one of the organizers of the protest, said. “There’s been an amazing effort across the community to show support for Palestine, constantly putting aside the differences that keep us apart.”

On Oct. 7, Hamas launched a surprise attack against Israel, killing 1,200 people and taking 253 hostages, according to Israel’s Foreign Ministry; Israel responded with full bombardment of the Gaza Strip. As of Jan. 26, Israel has killed at least 26,000 Palestinians in Gaza, according to Health Ministry officials in Gaza. On Friday, the International Court of Justice ordered Israel to comply with international law on genocide after South Africa brought charges of genocide against Israel, which Israel disputes.

A ceasefire resolution was proposed to the New Haven Board of Alders on Nov. 28, which Board of Alders President Tyisha Walker-Myers vowed to assign to a committee in mid-January. The ceasefire resolution could divide opinions on the Board of Alders, which usually votes unanimously.

The protest was organized by the Connecticut branch of the Party for Socialism and Liberation, in collaboration with the Citywide Youth Coalition, University of Connecticut Students for Justice in Palestine, American Muslims for Palestine and Pals4Palestine.

New Haven’s protest on Saturday joined others nationwide to increase pressure on the United States and local governments to back a ceasefire and divest from the war. Saturday was Holocaust Remembrance Day, which organizers cited as a reminder of the importance of standing against genocide. Since their first call to action on Nov. 9, Shut It Down for Palestine has organized activist groups to coordinate simultaneous actions around the country.

“Where are you, New Haven?” Ta’LannaMonique Lawson-Dickerson, Citywide Youth Coalition’s director of community organizing, asked in her speech. “There are countless things our money could be funding that aren’t genocide.”

According to the Chicago Council on Global Affairs, President Joe Biden pledged $14.3 billion in military aid to Israel in October though the spending was blocked by Senate Democrats in November because of proposed funding cuts to the Internal Revenue Service. 

After Lawson-Dickerson’s comment, attendees began chanting out causes around the United States that they said could benefit from this money instead. Protestors named “healthcare,” “education” and “public transit,” among several others. 

Other members of the Party for Socialism and Liberation of Connecticut also spoke at the protest, as well as Jamarr Jabari, the host of Jabari V.O.C., a podcast that discusses revolutionary politics. All spoke about continuing their protesting.

New Havener Gabriela Margarita de Jesús ’14 also spoke at the protest, telling personal narratives from her experience as a member of a minority group in both New Haven and Yale, using these to support the call for a ceasefire. 

“They are silent during an ongoing genocide,” de Jesús said of New Haven and the University. “Their silence makes them unsafe and dangerous. They protect their images at the expense of real human lives.”

De Jesús also asked attendees to put their hands in the air and use their five fingers to represent the five points they should be putting pressure on to call for a ceasefire — Yales Unions, the  University, Mayor Justin Elicker, Rep. Rosa DeLauro and the Board of Alders. She said that attendees putting their hands above their heads was not a symbol of surrender, but instead a symbol of continued resistance.

The protest ended with attendees marching up Chapel Street chanting “Free, free Palestine” and singing songs together. Signs flooded the streets of downtown New Haven as they marched from the New Haven Green.

The New Haven Green is located at 250 Temple St.

Update, Jan. 30: The article’s subhead was updated to more clearly attribute the claim of genocide to the protestors. The article was also updated to clarify that Israel disputes charges of genocide.