WASHINGTON — Thousands of protesters were expected to march near the White House on Saturday as part of a rally calling for a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas.
The ANSWER Coalition (Act Now to Stop War and End Racism) submitted a permit to the National Park Service for an "End the Siege of Gaza: Free Palestine" rally. The permit says an estimated 26.000-30,000 participants will call for Israel to stop bombing Gaza. Israel's offensive against the predominately Palestinian Gaza Strip began last month following an attack by Hamas militants that killed more than 1,400 people.
According to the permit, a pre-rally will begin at noon on Saturday with speeches and music at Freedom Plaza. The rally itself is scheduled to begin at 2 p.m. and go until 4 p.m., when participants will march on streets around the White House and Ellipse.
Participants will depart Freedom Plaza north on 14th Street to K Street; west on K Street to 17th Street; south on 17th Street to the closed portion of Pennsylvania Avenue, eastbound to 15th Street, and south on 15th Street to Pennsylvania Avenue back to Freedom Plaza.
From 4 p.m. to 8 p.m., organizers have also planned a vigil in Lafayette Park and picketing along the White House sidewalk, according to the permit.
WUSA9 will be providing live coverage of the rally throughout the day. Check back in for updates as the event progresses.
1 P.M. - Pre-Rally Speeches Begin
As a large crowd continued gathering at Freedom Plaza ahead of the expected beginning of the rally at 2 p.m., speakers began warming up attendees with chants of, "Free, Free Palestine!"
2 P.M. - Rally Begins with Moment of Silence
The "Free Palestine" rally began with a moment of silence as protesters held up a large poster with the names of more than 9,000 Palestinians who have died since the Israel-Hamas began.
"We will never forget our people who have paid the ultimate sacrifice," a speaker told the crowd.
Sheikh Omar Suleiman, a Muslim scholar and speaker who has called Israel’s response to Hamas’ attack ethnic cleansing, told the crowd he had recently heard from a friend sending condolences for the murder of 6-year-old Wadea al-Fayoume, who was killed by his landlord in what police have called an anti-Palestinian hate crime. Suleiman said he asked what was the difference between Wadea and the Palestinian children who have died in Gaza.
“You don’t get to dehumanize us and then tell us how we get to resist that dehumanization,” Suleiman said.
Among the speakers was Benjamin Haggerty, the Grammy Award-winning singer who performs under the name Macklemore.
"We lead with our hearts. We speak the truth. We shut down the propaganda and we lead the march forward," Haggerty said.
5 p.m.- The March is underway
Protestors have begun marching the streets of D.C. they began at Freedom Plaza and will be making their way north on 14th Street to K Street; west on K Street to 17th Street; south on 17th Street to the closed portion of Pennsylvania Avenue, eastbound to 15th Street, and south on 15th Street to Pennsylvania Avenue back to Freedom Plaza.
Israel-Hamas War Continues to Grow
Despite pressure from some Democrats in Congress, the White House has not called for a ceasefire, but has pressured Israel to consider a humanitarian pause to allow civilians to receive aid. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken traveled to Israel for his third trip since the war began this week and echoed calls from President Joe Biden for a temporary halt in the conflict. Both Biden and Blinken have repeatedly stressed American support for Israel's efforts to wipe out Hamas.
Some members of the president's own party have pressed him to take a harder line on Israel's continued bombing of the Gaza Strip. One of his loudest critics in Congress has been Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-MI), the only Palestinian-American in Congress.
"Mr. President, the American people are not with you on this one," Tlaib says in a video released Friday.
A Republican-led effort to censure Tlaib, spearheaded by Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA), failed this week after nearly two dozen GOP members of Congress joined Democrats in voting against it.
More than 10,000 people have died so far in the conflict — more than any of the previous four wars between Israel and Hamas since 2007. While approximately 1,400 people were killed in Israel in Hamas' initial attack, since Oct. 7 Gaza has born the brunt of casualties with more than 9,200 Palestinians estimated dead as of Saturday. According to the Associated Press, another 23,000 Palestinians are believed to have been injured during Israel's counteroffensive, which has continued nearly continuously since the initial attack.
READ MORE
- Israel's encirclement of Gaza City tightens as top US diplomat arrives to push for humanitarian aid
- Pressure rises on Israel to pause fighting and ease siege as battles intensify near Gaza City
- Dozens of severely wounded, and dual nationals, allowed to flee Gaza as war rages on
- Hundreds of pro-ceasefire protesters face jail, fines | VERIFY