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Protesters hold pro-Palestine rally at Washington Park

People protest Israeli aggression against Palestinians at Washington Park in Over-The-Rhine on Sunday, May 16, 2021.

A pro-Palestine rally was held at Washington Park in Over-the-Rhine on Sunday afternoon.

At least 100 people gathered to protest Israeli aggression toward Palestinians, as well as a decision by Israel's courts which has paved the way for the evictions of six Palestinian families from their homes in the East Jerusalem neighborhood of Sheikh Jarrah. 

Israeli authorities have said the situation in Sheikh Jarrah is a real-estate dispute, though for years pro-Israel organizations have sought to change the demographics of East Jerusalem, which is predominantly Arab, according to the nonpartisan Council on Foreign Relations

However, Palestinians, as well as countries that don't recognize Israel's sovereignty in East Jerusalem, say the evictions violate international law.  

The rally began at 1 p.m. and lasted several hours. Around 3 p.m., protesters began driving around the block, hanging out of their car windows while holding Palestinian flags and honking their horns in solidarity. 

Many of those who participated in the protest were waving the Palestinian flag. Amira Hasan, of Hamilton, brought a poster board sign decorated in the flag's colors that read "free Palestine, end apartheid".  

Amira Hasan, of Hamilton, sits next to her sign while protesting Israeli aggression against Palestinians at Washington Park in Over-The-Rhine on Sunday, May 16, 2021.

Just blocks away from the protest, FC Cincinnati fans were celebrating the team's first home game played in the brand-new $250 million stadium. The other half of the park was filled with soccer fans, as well as those who were just taking in the good weather. 

The rally in Washington Park was just one of many pro-Palestinian protests held across the country and the world following the recent eruption of violence between Israel and Hamas in Gaza


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