Chanting and waving flags, pro-Palestinian protesters took to the streets of downtown Seattle on Saturday, causing a shut down of traffic along 1st Avenue as they pressed for a ceasefire in Gaza. The demonstration, which began at Westlake Center, saw protestors marching southbound, blocking the road at Pine Street and causing disruptions throughout the area, as per KIRO 7 News.
As the group made its way through the heart of Seattle they were seen brandishing Palestinian flags; a journey that continued past the clamor of Pike Place Market and concluded around 4 p.m. near the modern glass domes of Amazon's headquarters, generally known as the Amazon Spheres, this observation was made by KOMO News crews who witnessed where the protest eventually dwindled down in numbers. As CBS Austin noted that at the peak of the event thousands had joined in, but only a few hundred remained by its conclusion.
Amidst the fervor and chants, Hossam Nasr, took a leading role in amplifying the pro-Palestine voice, emphasizing solidarity with the people of Gaza. "We came here to show that the people of Seattle stand with Palestine, especially when Israel started already bombing Rafah, where 1.5 million people are trapped and is threatening a ground invasion that every single human rights organization, UN organization, and even the United States Government, which has stayed firmly behind Israel’s genocidal campaign for over four months, is also warning against," Nasr told CBS Austin during the march.
Moreover, the protesters have been distributing flyers criticizing tech giants Google and Amazon for their alleged $1.2 billion contract with the Israeli government and military, actions that these demonstrators marched against, hoping to draw more attention to the involvement of these corporations in the conflict, the intent is to disrupt business and bring their message to the forefront claimed the flyers. Seattle has been no stranger to pro-Palestine protests since the beginning of the recent conflict, and Saturday's demonstration underscores the resilience of their cause, to halt combat and propose peace, as highlighted in the information provided by Mid-Michigan NOW.
