Burlington rallies for Palestine

BURLINGTON, Vt. (WCAX) - Saturday marks Nakba Day for millions of Palestinians and their supporters around the world. In Burlington, more than 100 people gathered at Battery Park in solidarity.

Speakers rallied the crowd and even sang about the conflict, claiming it’s not an equal war but rather an occupation for ethnic cleansing. After, the crowd marched down Church Street to City Hall.

Nakba Day commemorates when tens of thousands of people were forced from their homes during the war that led to the creation of the State of Israel in 1948.

One Palestinian living in Vermont says he wants his neighbors and his friends to know they can help.

“The Palestinians are people, too, and they are suffering for a long time,” Wafic Faour said. “They can do something about it. They can contact their representatives and stop the military aid to Isreal.”

WCAX News didn’t see any counter-protestors at the rally, but there were many Pro-Israel demonstrations across the globe.

Saturday, an Israeli airstrike destroyed a high-rise in Gaza City that housed international media outlets, including the Associated Press and Al-Jazeera, while while Palestinian rocket salvoes hit Tel Aviv.

Palestinians say at least 145 people, including 41 children, have been killed in Gaza since the conflict erupted on Monday. Israel has reported 10 dead, including two children.

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