TROY, Mich. (WXYZ) — On Friday, several hundred people rallied outside Troy's Somerset Collection mall and called for a permanent ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas war. They said a temporary ceasefire doesn’t go far enough.
Equipped with signs that read “Free Palestine," protesters from all walks of life gathered on one of, if not, the busiest shopping day of the year, Black Friday.
“It’s not just one group. It’s not just one person saying that we want a ceasefire. We demand a permanent ceasefire. Multiple groups, multiple organizations are echoing the same sentiments,” Rebeka Islam, a community leader, told 7 Action News.
In addition to calling for a permanent ceasefire, they demand the U.S. government stop sending aid to Israel.
“I think we specifically chose Black Friday because it’s important to note that a number of corporations that are refusing to stand out and against the genocide that’s being funded by our U.S. tax dollars," Lexis Zeidan, a social justice activist, said.
She added, "It’s important that corporations begin to speak out and stand up against anything that’s inhumane.”
The groups want an end to the occupation of the West Bank and an end to the blockade on the Gaza Strip.
Barbara Barefeld, a Jewish activist, is part of the coalition calling for peace.
She told 7 Action News, “Nobody should be killing. In this day and age, we should be solving our problems with our brains and our hearts and our souls.”
Barefeld is with the organization Jewish Voice for Peace Detroit and said the message expressed Friday is not about hate.
“Lots of Israeli’s have been critical of Israel and their strategy, their policies, their government, their military. That’s not anti-Semitic. We’re not shedding hatred on the Jewish people. We are saying we’ve got to adhere to our Jewish values of caring for life," she explained.
Barefeld said the conflict should be solved diplomatically through non-violence.
