Tallahassee community members, FSU students hold pro-Palestinian protest amid war

In light of the Israel-Hamas war, Tallahassee community members of all ages gathered for a protest to call for no more United States aid to Israel and to support Palestinian resistance.

Among the crowd of a couple hundred protesters who stood with their flags and signs held high in the air Wednesday evening at Cascades Park was former Florida State University student Ahmad Daraldik — a proud Palestinian who filed allegations of an anti-Palestinian hostile environment on campus, which has led to a federal investigation.

“I’m concerned, disappointed and upset,” he said. “How can what we’re witnessing before our eyes be called anything but a genocide?”

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The Freedom Road Socialist Organization of Tallahassee led the protest along with FSU’s Students for a Democratic Society and the Tallahassee Community Action Committee, which were both co-sponsors of the rally.

The protest comes during a time in which Israeli forces have launched an aerial bombardment of targets in the Gaza Strip ahead of an expected ground assault after the militant group Hamas launched a coordinated, surprise attack against Israel, massacring hundreds of civilians and holding dozens hostage.

The conflict and recent attacks have led to thousands of deaths on both sides, the destruction of hospitals and homes, civilians being held hostage and an American death toll of 30 individuals as well as more than a dozen who are missing in the foreign country.

The death toll of Israelis and Palestinians surpassed 5,000, making the conflict the deadliest of five wars involving the narrow, densely populated strip of land bordering Israel, Egypt and the Mediterranean Sea.

During the rally, protesters held up signs with the words “Free Palestine” and “Stop the genocide” while they chanted “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free” and “Not another nickel, not another dime, no more money for Israel’s crime.”

Toddlers sat on their parents’ shoulders for a better view of the crowd as they waved their own mini Palestinian flags.

“We are on the right side of history,” FSU student and SDS member Joelle Nunez said. “We will see an end to this apartheid, and we will see the unification of Palestine.”

There have been Israel-Hamas war protests across Florida, including one on the FSU campus last week— hosted by Students for a Democratic Society — that drew outcry after a conservative media outlet posted a video of someone chanting, “It is our duty to fight for our freedom. It is our duty to win."

Similar chants sprung up at Wednesday's rally. "Resistance is justified when people are occupied," the crowd called at one point. "Palestine is our demand, no peace on stolen land."

One speaker shouted "We support Hamas" to a few cheers.

Some state lawmakers and Gov. Ron DeSantis are calling for the expulsion of college students expressing support for the surprise attack on Israel, though that may run into First Amendment issues, experts warn.

"We say Florida is the best place in America for Jews," said Rep. Randy Fine, R-Palm Bay, who is Jewish. "It’s time to prove it. Right now. Today. These children must not spend one day more surrounded by these animals."

Also last week, a vigil was held by FSU's Jewish Student Organizations at the Tucker Civic Center in support of Israel, with hundreds of students and university officials including President Richard McCullough in attendance.

“Florida State University stands staunchly in support of the Israeli people and all those affected by these terrible atrocities,” McCullough wrote in a letter preceding it. “I would like our Jewish faculty, staff, and students to know I stand with you and that your Florida State University family is here to support you.”

More on FSU vigil for Israel: 'The people of Israel live': FSU Jewish student organizations hold vigil

While the local organizations holding the Wednesday rally had their own safety patrols, the Tallahassee Police Department’s officers parked their vehicles across the street from the protest and stood in surveillance. There were no counter-protesters.

While the protesters advocated for ending all U.S. aid to Israel, Israel’s is requesting $10 billion more. Military aid to Israel has been over $3 billion in the 2023 fiscal year, according to the Congressional Research Service.

At the same time, President Joe Biden — who took a trip to Israel amid the conflicts — recently announced $100 million in humanitarian aid for Gaza and the West Bank that would help the Palestinians in need.

Candles were lit by a few of the protesters in the crowd as the rally continued under the night sky, and the individuals took a knee during a moment of silence toward the end of the gathering.

Speakers during the protest also urged the participants to attend the city commission meeting taking place Wednesday Oct. 25 at 3 p.m. to voice their concerns and ask for a resolution to be created that supports the Palestinian cause.

“The narrative that we’re watching unfold is something that’s beyond belief, and it's incomprehensible,” Daraldik said. “This can’t be the first or only protest.”

Contact Tarah Jean at tjean@tallahassee.com or follow her on twitter @tarahjean_.

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This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Tallahassee community, FSU students protest to support Palestinians