'Free Palestine' rally held in Anaheim following mounting violence overseas
ANAHEIM, Calif. - A rally was held in Anaheim on Wednesday to show support for Palestinians following the violence mounting overseas between Israel and Hamas in Gaza.
The humanitarian situation has pushed the Palestinian death toll to more than 200 people, including children, and 12 people in Israel.
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"The issue of Palestine has now transcended from being an exclusive Palestinian issue to now an issue that is for the entire humanity. There seems to be intersectionality across the spectrum with Latinx, African American people, Asian people, people of all faiths or no faith for that matter," said Shakeel, who attended the rally.The rally was organized by leaders from American Muslims for Palestine, Palestine Youth Movement, The Arab American Civil Council, and the United States Palestine Community Network.
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"We formed a coalition for a week of action and the reason is the ongoing assault on Gaza from the Palestinians who live there by Israel using overwhelming military force," said Kareem Youssef of the United States Palestine Community Network.
The rally comes as the Los Angeles Police Department investigators are working to determine whether an attack on diners in the Beverly Grove neighborhood was a hate crime. The violent incident was caught on camera. It happened outside of the Sushi Fumi restaurant.
Witnesses say what appeared to be possibly pro-Palestinian supporters, drove by the restaurant in a caravan multiple times yelling anti-Semitic slurs. The suspects then allegedly got out of their car and a brawl ensued, causing paramedics to be called to the scene.
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Some people at the rally condemned the incident.
"It's not acceptable. It is not good for the cause, for the people but I think all of us should also focus on the bigger scheme of things which is the genocide that is unfolding," said Shakeel.
Some people said the incident also distracts from what is happening overseas.
"This is about Palestinian rights. This LAPD investigation, this hate crime they want to uplift, this is just a media ploy to silence the unprecedented resistance, the unprecedented rallying of U.S based Palestinians," said Youssef.
Hamas officials are predicting a ceasefire within possibly the next 24 hours.