Richmonders March for Palestine Amid Israeli Air Strikes
Demonstrators gathered at Monroe Park on Wednesday to condemn the Israeli occupation of Palestine. Masks were required by protest organizers. (Photos: Alex Scribner/VPM News)
Hundreds of Richmond residents marched down Broad Street Wednesday to condemn the Israeli occupation of Palestine and the recent escalation of state violence in the region.
More than 200 demonstrators gathered in Monroe Park, many waving Palestinian flags, wearing face paint and holding signs that called for Palestinian liberation. The organizers demanded President Joe Biden intervene and called out ties between Virginia and the Israeli government.
They condemned the deployment of warships to the Middle East from a naval base in Norfolk and criticized Virginia police training based on Israeli law enforcement tactics. Protesters also criticized a Virginia Commonwealth University study abroad program that takes students to Jerusalem to study architectu