Roughly a hundred activists marched in support of the Palestinian people in downtown Little Rock Saturday amid continued fighting and restrictions on humanitarian aid in Gaza.
The march, organized by Little Rock Peace for Palestine, comes amid heightened tension and fighting between Israel and Iran. Organizer Tristine Lam said the group’s demands haven’t changed since Israel began its invasion of Gaza nearly two years ago.
“We’re just demanding aid to be let in to the [Gaza] strip so they can just have a tiny glimpse of humanity, so that they’re given their rights to exist and their right to return to their indigenous homeland,” Lam said.
College students Ayman Al-Qaissi and Jenna Eid were both present at the march, saying it’s important to continue to protest the U.S. government’s support of Israel.
“I’ve been showing up since 2023, but I feel like Little Rock is a small community and so it’s really important to try and show out,” Eid said. “I feel like the more events that we have, the more important it is to keep coming. Because obviously with what’s happening in the government right now, they want to crush dissent and silence us. But it’s important that we speak up, and that we keep showing up.”
Eid added she’s seen new protestors join the movement in response to crackdowns on demonstrations by the federal government, particularly against immigration enforcement efforts in the Los Angeles area.
“To the people that are coming out here just because it’s been happening at home, I don’t have much to say to them because I feel like the liberation struggles from Palestine to Los Angeles to different parts of the U.S. are interconnected,” she said. “At the end of the day, it’s important that, even if you are recognizing that it’s important for you to show up right now, that you do your best because there’s no late time to start.”
“The tides are turning, and a lot more people are joining and recognizing our involvement as a U.S. taxpayer, as a citizen… and how we are funding so many atrocities,” said Lam. “It’s really incredible seeing more people joining in and trying to take action, continuing to boycott, continuing to speak up for Palestine.”
Marchers made their way from the Clinton Presidential Center to Little Rock’s Junction Bridge following the earlier “No Kings” Protest at the Broadway Bridge.
