WS Gaza protests continue but city council action unlikely | #citycouncil

As they have been doing for weeks, protesters assembled at City Hall in advance of a council meeting, with some speaking during the public comment period.

This time, the group staged a vigil in the lobby of City Hall. On one side of the room, protesters held a long banner with the slogan “Ceasefire Now,” while on the other side of the lobby, another banner said “Free Palestine,” along with the controversial slogan, “From the River to the Sea.”

At the foot of the banner were oblong objects wrapped in white with red marks on them representing blood stains.

“That represents the kids that have been murdered so far,” said Sarra Alqahtani, holding up one end of the banner. Although the slogan on the banner is seen by some as an antisemitic call for the elimination of Israel, Alqahtani said the slogan means not that, but uniting Gaza and the West Bank.

During the public comment period, public school teacher Rafia Kirmani told council members why she believes the city council should pass a resolution:

“At this moment, it does not matter if you agree with our call that a genocide is happening,” Kirmani said. “At this moment, 1.5 million displaced Palestinian civilians are seeking refuge in Rafah as demanded by Israeli forces and are now being bombed, shot, tortured or starved. Whether or not this is being done to retrieve hostages, killing innocent lives is not how this retrieval should be conducted.”

Rafah is a city on the southern border of Gaza with Egypt. The Israeli military is planning an offensive there as part of its stated goal of eliminating Hamas, the group that led the Oct. 7, 2023, attack into Israel that resulted in civilian massacres and the taking of hostages.

Critics say the civilian toll among Palestinians in Gaza because of the Israeli response has been much too high. The U.S., which has backed Israel’s offensive, abstained on Monday in a United Nations Security Council vote calling for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza.

Mayor Allen Joines said Tuesday that he was happy to see the ceasefire resolution pass at the U.N., but doesn’t see the issue as one the city should weigh in on with a resolution:

“I touched base with all the council members some time ago, and they are of the opinion that this is a matter that is not germane to city government,” Joines said. “We are all sympathetic to the cause there, but we try to stick to issues that deal with Winston-Salem.”

Council Member Jeff MacIntosh said he understands the frustrations of protesters who feel powerless and want the city to “do what we can.”

“People don’t ask the school board to fix potholes, he said. “We are not really in charge of policy on Gaza. It (a resolution) is a gesture, and I don’t see the gesture as being worthwhile to make.”

Echoing the mayor, MacIntosh said the city usually avoids resolutions not directly connected to city affairs.

“It does not mean that we disagree, we just don’t feel like our role is to do a resolution.”

Haneen Nassef, one of the speakers talking to council during public comments, said she believes city action can help:

“I’ve learned that we should always do what we can, where we are with what we have,” she said. “And you sitting in these seats today, you have and you sure can do a lot to stop this genocide and bloodshed … what if you were in their place, what if you lost your limbs, going through starvation, lost your beloved children, your home has got bombed and your memories have been crushed …”