Minnesota shows solidarity with Rasmea Odeh on her sentencing day
Minneapolis, MN – 20 people gathered, March 12, on May Day Plaza with signs, banners and Palestinian flags to show solidarity with Palestinian American leader Rasmea Odeh. Earlier in the day, Odeh faced her sentencing hearing in Detroit, Michigan, the conclusion of a political trial where she was unjustly convicted of a trumped-up immigration charge. At the March 12 sentencing hearing, Odeh faced up to 10 years in prison and deportation. 200 of her supporters mobilized in Detroit to attend the sentencing hearing alongside Odeh, including dozens who made the long trip from Minnesota.
Odeh’s Twin Cities supporters who could not make the trip to Detroit organized the solidarity rally at May Day Plaza to spread the word in the Twin Cities, chanting and holding signs that read, “Drop the charges against Rasmea Odeh” and “MN stands in solidarity with Rasmea.” They heard an update from the sentencing hearing and updates from members of the Welfare Rights Committee and Students for a Democratic Society, both of which sent cars full of members to Detroit.
The Minneapolis protesters expressed relief upon hearing that Odeh will stay out of prison pending a legal appeal and that she was sentenced to 18 months rather than the five to seven years that the prosecution was pushing for.
Protesters also expressed resolve to continue the struggle so that Odeh will not have to serve even a day more in prison in this unjust case of political repression.