Tampa, FL – Over 1500 Palestinians and their supporters protested on the corner of 56th Street and Fowler Avenue on October 21. Tampa Bay supporters of Palestine hosted their fourth protest in three weeks since the rise of the Palestinian resistance and Israel’s escalating attacks on Gaza. Attendees waved keffiyehs, Palestine flags, and signs at cars while chanting “Free, free Palestine!”

Similar to the previous Palestine rallies in the north Tampa area, there was heavy police presence at the protest. Multiple Temple Terrace Police Department vehicles surrounded the crowd with a helicopter flying overhead.

Despite the police, the crowd was energetic as the march west on Fowler Avenue began. The march continued for half a mile before circling back at the University of South Florida. Over a dozen supporters in cars drove around the protest honking horns and waving flags to the cheers of the protesters. Hillsborough County sheriffs on bicycles and a few University of South Florida police in cars watched as over 1000 people took 20 minutes to cross the street.

As the protest returned safely to 56th and Fowler, the chanting continued until the event concluded with the Muslim protesters conducting the Maghrib prayer.

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