As ceasefire protests took place across the country, a group of demonstrators gathered in downtown Los Angeles Monday.
More than 100 people from a few different organizations met at Pershing Square Monday afternoon, calling for an immediate and permanent ceasefire in Gaza.
The protest took place on Tax Day as the demonstrators wanted the U.S. government to stop using taxpayers’ money to provide support and funding in Israel.
“As a Palestinian American over here, I think it’s really important that the youth are starting to speak up and really feel empowered to take a stance,” Noor Abdelhaq, a protester, said. “We don’t want to keep funding this. We don’t want war. We don’t want violence, but the only way to do that is to hold our government accountable.”
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Some of the participants said their goal was to disrupt business in downtown LA’s Financial District in order to get their point across.
“We will not be done until Palestine is free,” a protester, who identified herself as Christina, said. “The people that represent us are not listening to us, and we are saying there is no business as usual. We will not stop.”
As people of all ages took part in the protest, the organizers made a push for students and business owners to take part, asking them to close their shops for the day and join them. Organizers said at least a few Southern California businesses did close today in support of the cause.
