Early Saturday afternoon, a large crowd of a few hundred gathered in Scissortail Park in support of Palestine amid the war in the Middle East.
“Today we’re here with the Oklahomans Against the Occupation at a rally to support the Palestinian people, and to call for an end to the violence and a ceasefire, because we want to see an end to the loss of innocent life for Palestinian civilians,” said Adam Soltani, Executive Director for the Oklahoma chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations.
Despite the cold and rainy conditions, protestors showed up, waving Palestinian flags, chanting, and showing support for Palestine, as Soltani said the situation is dire in Gaza.
“Power has been cut off to Gaza, water has been cut off to Gaza, the internet has been cut off to Gaza. We need humanitarian aid to be let in immediately,” he said.
As Soltani described those conditions in Gaza, he said Saturday at the rally, he and Imad Enchassi of the Islamic Society of Greater Oklahoma City spoke about the experiences of Palestinian people.
“We spoke, uplifting the voices of the Palestinian people, telling the stories of friends and family who’ve lost their life or lost their home in Gaza, and encouraging people to make sure that they take action, and make their voices heard,” he said.
Soltani added this is the first major rally and protest since the war broke out, and encouraged protestors at the gathering to reach out to their elected representatives.
“This is not the end, this is only the beginning. We are encouraging people to reach out to their elected officials, their congressmen and women, their senators, to encourage them to call for an end to this violence, because we know that our president and our congress, they can do something if they choose to,” he said.