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Palestinian supporters rally in Playhouse Square outside Cleveland event featuring elected officials

protesters stand in front of theater holding signs
Ygal Kaufman
/
Ideastream Public Media
Protesters gathered in Playhouse Square before marching toward City Hall.

Protesters gathered outside KeyBank State Theatre Monday night to send a message to the elected officials inside: divest from Israel and show support for the nearly 13,000 Palestinians killed in the ongoing Israel-Hamas War.

Cleveland Mayor Justin Bibb, Gov. Mike DeWine and U.S. House representatives Shontel Brown and Max Miller were slated to speak as part of Greater Cleveland Partnership's All In Leadership Forum. DeWine did not end up attending.

Protesters carrying the flag of Palestine stand behind barricades in Cleveland's Playhouse Square.
Ygal Kaufman
/
Ideastream Public Media
Euclid Avenue was closed Monday between East 13th and East 18th streets.

The crowd of around 100 took issue with what they viewed as politicians "endorsing" a genocide by not vocalizing support for the Palestinian people and by accepting "blood money" from Israel.

Whereas some slammed Bibb's social media post saying, "Cleveland stands in solidarity with Israel" after the Oct. 7 Hamas attacks, others condemned more pointed language, like Miller's comments on Fox News saying that Gaza would be "eviscerated" and that "we're going to turn that into a parking lot."

“It’s despicable and it’s unacceptable and that’s why we’re out here as a community in Cleveland, to show them that our community in Cleveland, not just Palestinians, our entire community stands with the people of Palestine right now," said Cleveland activist Chance Emad of the Palestinian Youth Movement.

Emad's family is from Gaza. "They don’t support genocide.”

man with bullhorn stands in foreground while group pf protestors with signs stand in background.
Ygal Kaufman
/
Ideastream Public Media
Protest leader Chance Emad leads the marchers in a chant as they moved down Euclid Avenue.

The event kicked off at the US Bank Plaza on the corner of 14th Street and Euclid Avenue, which police blocked off with fences and snow plows. Organizers marched down Euclid carrying signs and bloodied body bags bearing the names of children they said were killed in Gaza this month.

“We would hope our elected officials finally take the opportunity to pay attention to us, that they stop supporting genocide right now and that they change their behavior," Emad said.

The protesters chanted the names of each elected official saying, "You can't hide, we charge you with genocide."

Once in front of the State Theatre, an organizer read the names of Palestinian children they said have died. The crowd said the elected officials were "charged with [their] murders."

two young women hold signs that have pro-Palestinian slogans
Ygal Kaufman
/
Ideastream Public Media
Protesters gathered across the street from The City Club of Cleveland headquarters before the march headed down the street toward the State Theatre.

Hayat Najjar, a 42-year-old Westlake resident, said she brought her daughter to show support and demand a ceasefire.

"There’s a large Palestinian community here. We are family both here and there," Najjar said. "If they want our votes and they want us to support them, they have to support us.”

protester checks her phone while holding a sign that reads "From the River to the sea, Palestine will be free."
Ygal Kaufman
/
Ideastream Public Media
Protesters brandished small bags meant to represent dead children in Gaza, as well as a variety of signs they had made themselves or were provided to them. The signs had a variety of messages from demands for financial divestment from Israel, to controversial slogans such as "from the river to the sea..." which critics have charged is a call for genocide of Jewish Israelis.

After the protest, some of the group marched to Cleveland City Hall, where they once again filled Cleveland City Council chambers and used public comment to speak in support of the Palestinians. The crowd disrupted the meeting with chants of "Free Palestine" for over seven minutes before leaving council chambers.

Council President Blaine Griffin, who said council is reviewing a potential public comment rules change in the wake of what he called a breach of decorum in chambers, instructed the clerk of council to continue and ignore the crowd.

Organizers were not removed by police, as one had been a few weeks prior, and ultimately left.

Abbey Marshall covers Cleveland-area government and politics for Ideastream Public Media.