Protesters in Dearborn condemn Israeli bombing of  the Baptist Hospital in the besieged Gaza Strip, killing more than 500

DEARBORN —  As the brutal Israeli attack on Palestinians in Gaza continues, thousands walked on Wednesday in Dearborn in an effort to spread love, support and rally in support of Gazans and for a free Palestine.

Many in the Dearborn community came together at Ford Woods Park on Wednesday, October 18. Although many participants aren’t Palestinian, the situation is too tragic not to touch their hearts.

“You watch these images, and you feel broken and helpless as a father,” Tarik Bazzy, who is a Lebanese American, told CBS Detroit. “You want to be able to hug your kids, and Palestine is filled with over 50 percent of children.”

On Tuesday, Gaza’s health ministry spokesman said an Israeli air strike killed hundreds of people at a hospital in the Palestinian enclave.

The death toll was by far the highest of any single attack in Gaza during the current war, triggering protests against Israel worldwide.

According to Reuters and the health ministry in Gaza, at least 3,785 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli strikes since October 7, and 12,943 have been wounded. 

The vigil was organized in efforts to continue to bring awareness to what the people of Gaza are actively experiencing and condemn the proceeding violence against them. 

Despite being on the other side of the world, they have continued to be the voice for those that do not have one. 

Before the march commenced, Amer Zahr, president of New Generation for Palestine, announced that the march was to be silent as they displayed their support.

“This isn’t the first time they have massacred our civilians, they massacre us all the time; it’s what they’ve been doing for the last 75 years,” Zahr said.

“We are saddened, we are devastated, we are in pain, but we are not surprised.

More than 2,000 community members gathered at Ford Wood Park in Dearborn on Wednesday to protest Israeli genocide against Palestinians.

“This space here today is not just Palestinians, it’s not just Arabs, we have all kinds of Arabs, we have everybody here in Dearborn that live here; Palestinian, Syrian, Lebanese, Yemeni, Iraqi, everybody that’s here with us,” Zahr said. “We have White people, we have Black people, we have Latino people, we have our Jewish brothers and sisters, who today, shut down the capitol in Washington D.C. for Palestine.”

Osama Siblani, publisher of The Arab American News, attended in support of Palestine as well.

“We are not going to be intimidated into silence,” Siblani said. “You are killing our people there and threatening our people here. You cannot continue to kill them there and you are not going to keep us silent here.

“So we have something to say today and that is something that they need to hear — that we stand firm, committed to justice and peace in the Middle East for our people in Palestine. There is no compromise over this.

Wayne County Commissioner Sam Baydoun and Wayne County Deputy Executive Assad Turfe joined the march on Warren Ave.

“Here in America, we’re going to continue to speak out against the killing of Palestinians and the Israeli occupation, its apartheid government and the genocide that is being committed by the Israeli occupation forces against the Palestinian civilians in Gaza,” Siblani added. “There is no way you are going to shut us up.”

Siblani described President Biden’s attendance of a meeting of the Israel War Cabinet as a degrading to the American presidency and disregard to its world leaders status.

“We will remember in November what Joe Biden did in October,” Siblani told a cheering crowd. “I urge Arab Americans to cast a no vote for Joe Biden in 2024 and no vote any candidate that wasn’t sensitive to the killing of innocent Palestinians and supporting the brutality of the Israeli against civilians in Gaza.”

Dearborn Heights City Councilman Mo Baydoun was also in attendance.

More than 2,000 community members gathered at Ford Wood Park in Dearborn on Wednesday to protest Israeli genocide against Palestinians.

“I have a message to anybody that’s an elected official out there, I have a message to anybody that’s in public service and I have a message to anybody that is working,” Baydoun said. “And my message to you is turn on your TV, look at social media, spread the word of what’s happening. And if you know your friends, if you know your families or if you know your coworkers that are staying silent, they are a part of the problem just as much as the Israeli IDF that are bombing the Palestinians today.”

He went on to also say how important it is to speak up and not remain silent on this matter.

Protests in support of Palestine have sparked across the globe, including London, Los Angeles, New York, Manchester, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Geneva, Dublin and Turin in Northwestern Italy, according to reports. 

People around the world are displaying their dissent against the occupation and inhumane treatment of the people of Gaza. Individuals everywhere continue to rally to express their pro-Palestine sentiments.