PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WPRI) — Dozens of people gathered in Providence Saturday afternoon to hold what they call the first annual “Rhode Island Palestine Day.”
The event featured vendors, food, dancing and music with the goal of educating people about Palestinian culture in wake of the conflict happening in Gaza.
“We’ve had a whole year of continuing protesting, rallying, vigils, die-ins, anything you can think of for Palestine other than this,” Reem Saie-Awad, one of the event’s organizers involved with the organization Falasteen Diaspora Unied, told 12 News.
Several organizations helped make the event happen, including Jewish Voice for Peace Rhode Island (JVPRI).
“As a Jewish Rhode Islander, as a member of Jewish Voice for Peace, its been really important for me to show vocal support in solidarity with Palestine, with Palestinians,” Julian Drix, a member of JVPRI, said.
Organizers said that any donations they collected and money made by vendors will go to the Middle East Children’s Alliance, an organization that provides humanitarian aid.
In a statement about this event, the R.I. Coalition for Israel said it was “a sad day for people in RI who identify as ‘Palestinians.’”
“A true effort to uplift this community certainly wouldn’t rely on fictional and anti-Semitic claims of ‘genocide’ to justify itself,” the statement added. “Today’s event orchestrated by woke social justice warriors merely showed the depth of Jew-hatred that unfortunately exists among certain elements in our state.”
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