MSJP has organized protests to demand city officials to call for a ceasefire in Gaza almost every Saturday since October 2023
Mizzou Students for Justice in Palestine held a protest demanding city officials to call for a ceasefire in Gaza on Saturday, April 13, 2024 at Speakers Circle in Columbia, Mo. MSJP has organized weekly protests almost every week since October of 2023. Protestors marched down Ninth Street to Columbia City Hall and back, shouting chants along the way.
Protestors march past Starbucks on Saturday, April 13, 2024 at Ninth Street in Columbia, Mo. The protesters chanted “Starbucks, Starbucks, you can’t hide – you are funding genocide.”Drew McCausland chants “Free Palestine” in front of Columbia City Hall. “I’m a Methodist pastor, and I believe that when we look back on this time that we are living through in decades from now, I think it’s gonna be one of those situations where it’s going to be pivotal on what side did you stand on,” McCausland said. “We should all be a voice for innocent lives lost. It does not matter where they are from, what they look like, what language they speak, and what their faith is. It’s just wrong.” Residents watch the protest from their apartment balconies, which overlook Ninth street. The protestors started the protest around 2 p.m. at Speakers Circle and marched down Ninth Street to City Hall chanting along the way. John Tinker wears an armband to bring attention to Gaza as he crosses Ninth Street on the way back to Speakers Circle. “I’m here to support the suffering people, who are suffering genocide,” Tinker said. Maureen Doyle holds up a sign reading “Free Palestine” while walking towards City Hall with other protestors. “I traveled to Gaza in 2009 during an Israel bombing campaign, so it’s dear to my heart,” Doyle said.Protestors stand outside of City Hall during a moment of silence. Protestors held a minute of silence to mourn civilian lives lost as a result of the crisis in Gaza.A protester hands out papers promoting an upcoming event supporting Palestinian poetry;“Soul of our Soul: A Night of Palestine in Poems,” at Cafe Berlin on April 30th from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.Maureen Doyle (left) speaks with a protest traffic marshal on the walk back to Speaker’s Circle. Traffic marshals stopped traffic as the march passed through busier streets and intersections.
