Tampa marches in solidarity with victims of Al-Ahli al-Arabi Hospital bombing
Tampa, FL – Hundreds of members of the Palestinian community and other progressive activists came out on October 17 in response to the vicious and barbaric bombing of Al-Ahli al-Arabi Hospital in Gaza by the Israeli occupiers. A spontaneous call was made by members of the community to rally, and several hundred came out on a two-hour notice to chant and march in the Temple Terrace neighborhood of Tampa Bay.
Chanters called out, “One solution, intifada revolution!” and “Hey Netanyahu, what do you say? How many kids did you kill today?!” as they rallied and marched down the side of the road, as cars and trucks honked their support for the messages of Palestinian liberation.
Hatem Fariz, one of the organizers of the rally, and director of the Islamic Community of Tampa and longtime activist for Palestinian liberation, said, “We’re here in solidarity with our people in Gaza, Muslim and Christian Palestinians who got attacked and bombarded in their safest places, the hospital and the church next door.”
Future rallies and events are planned both in the Tampa area, to pressure local elected officials to prosecute hate crimes and Islamophobic attacks, and nationally, to demand the Biden administration end its support of the Israeli occupation.