A thousand protesters march through downtown New Haven for a “free Palestine” On Sunday at noon, about a thousand people rallied in downtown New Haven for the March for a Free Palestine, which was organized by the Connecticut Palestine Solidarity Coalition. WORDS BY Lily Belle Poling. PHOTOS BY SAMAD HAKANI, ELLIE PARK, CHRISTINA LEE, LILY BELLE POLING AND LAURA OSPINA.
About a thousand protesters marched through the streets of downtown New Haven for the Connecticut Palestine Solidarity Coalition’s “March for a Free Palestine” on Sunday.
Over 30 Connecticut organizations endorsed the rally, which called for an end to the siege of Gaza, U.S. military funding to Israel and the “repression” of pro-Palestine student protesters in the U.S. Protesters marched through Chapel, York and Elm streets as the New Haven Police Department blocked off traffic, before returning to the New Haven Green.
“Colleges across America have made it clear that they care more about the money in their pockets than the voices of their students,” Nour Alqaddumi, a member of the University of Connecticut Students for Justice in Palestine, announced to the crowd. “To Columbia, to Yale, to UConn and all colleges across the nation, as you are profiting off of these investments, just know that you are profiting off the starvation and killing of the Palestinian people.”
Students from universities across the country are calling for their schools to stop investing their endowment funds into companies or businesses that activists say are profiting from the war in Gaza, such as weapons manufacturers. Besides directly investing in these types of businesses, many universities invest in mutual funds, which are investment tools that spread money across many companies, some of which are believed to be contributing to and profiting from the war in Gaza.
Alqaddumi encouraged student protesters to continue their efforts despite doxxing, arrests and suspensions.
Students from the University of Connecticut, Yale, Wesleyan University, Central Connecticut State University and other universities were recognized for their participation in the rally by one of the organizers.
Organizers had marketed the rally for a full two months, according to Layan Alnajjar, a UConn alumna and organizer with CT Palestine Solidarity Coalition.
Shelton, Connecticut, resident Monica Kiehnle, who came to the rally by herself and was not affiliated with any of the endorsing groups, told the News that she heard about it through Instagram. She came because she felt, “the need to do something.”
In addition to flags, posters and kites designed by local artists, protesters also carried a protest puppet of President Joe Biden dressed as a butcher, in reference to Irish politician Clare Daly’s comments about Biden’s Israel policy. The group of friends that designed it said that the puppet aimed to create a visual message about the impact of Biden’s policies. A symbol of Biden’s veto power in the form of a butcher’s knife rested on one of the puppet’s hands, while the other hand held a plate of bombs.
Since Oct. 7, the United States has vetoed multiple United Nations Security Council resolutions, including three resolutions calling for a ceasefire in Gaza and another resolution that would recommend UN membership for Palestine. On March 25, the UN Security Council passed a resolution calling for an immediate ceasefire for the month of Ramadan with 14 votes in favor and the U.S. abstaining.
The Biden administration has also authorized the transfer of billions of dollars worth of arms to Israel over the past six months.
Noor Hashem, a Palestinian UConn alumna, said she attended the protest to call for divestment from institutions that are profiting off the “genocide” of the people of Gaza.
“We’ll be out here, and we always are, making our voices heard,” Hashem said. “The power is with the people and the larger and louder we are, the faster we can stop this.”
Organizers led the crowd in a variety of chants, including, “In our thousands, in our millions, we are all Palestinians,” “free, free Palestine,” and, “Resistance is justified when people are occupied.”
The crowd of protesters included not only Connecticut residents and students but also individuals from other states and out-of-state universities.
Columbia graduate student Kelsey Harrison, who was one of more than 100 protesters suspended and arrested at Columbia on April 18, also spoke at the rally. During her speech, she challenged the neutrality of academic research in the conflict.
“Student workers performing basic STEM research are contributing knowingly or unknowingly to the U.S. Department of Defense, which readily funds and supplies weapons to deploy against Palestinians,” Harrison, a chemistry doctoral student, said.
Yale students Yasmin Bergemann ’24 and Naima Blanco-Norberg ’25 also spoke to the crowd about the importance of student protests, arguing that students have the power to disrupt the status quo. Bergemann said that the most inspiring part “amidst so much destruction” for her was seeing people “come together.”
Alnajjar, one of the rally’s organizers, emphasized that if the demands of student protesters in Connecticut remain unmet, students will continue to escalate their actions.
As the rally concluded on the New Haven Green, organizers encouraged protesters to support Yale students’ second encampment — this time on Cross Campus — which started as the “March for a Free Palestine” concluded at 3:30 p.m.
The last New Haven rally for Palestine of similar size was on Oct. 22, 2023.
Laura Ospina contributed reporting.