Milwaukee, WI – Over two dozen people gathered here in freezing temperatures the night of Nov. 14 to stand in solidarity with Rasmea Odeh and demand she be released from jail.

The event was organized within days of Odeh being found guilty on in a Detroit court, Nov. 10, on the charge of allegedly lying on her immigration application from nearly a decade ago.

Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) chapters at Milwaukee area colleges, including Marquette University, UW Milwaukee, Alverno and Cardinal Stritch, called for the rally as part of a national day of action called by SJP nationally and to participate in the a national week of action urged by the Rasmea Defense Committee.

Students and community activists are demanding that 67-year-old Odeh be released from jail, where she is awaiting her sentencing in March, 2015. They said that her trial and guilty verdict were a travesty of justice.

“I believe that every generation has an obligation to Rasmea’s liberation. We need to make it clear that we will not be silenced in the face of injustice. We will only grow stronger and louder because if one of us is oppressed, we are all oppressed,” says Rawan Atari, president of SJP at Marquette University.

The rally was held at a busy intersection in downtown Milwaukee to catch the night rush hour. Cosponsors of the rally included Anti-War Committee Milwaukee, Jewish Voice for Peace Milwaukee, Friends of Palestine, Palestine Solidarity Coalition and the Committee to Stop FBI Repression.

Activists vow to organize for justice for Rasmea Odeh until she is free.

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