Chants from close to 1,500 mouths echoed from the grassy area in front of the Town Center Publix Saturday afternoon, where people peacefully protested in support of Palestine, called for a ceasefire overseas and slammed America’s support of Israel.
It’s been almost a month since a rally happened in that same spot and while hundreds attended last time, it tripled in size on Saturday. People of all ages and walks of life were there, waving Palestine’s red, green, black and white flag, and raising homemade signs toward the sky.
The protest began at 4 p.m. and many crossed Town Center Parkway to join the rapidly growing crowd. It would run until around 6:30 p.m. when the final protesters trickled away. In the 2 hours and 30 minutes since it began, hundreds of passing cars honked, revved and showed their support with various signs and flags hung out windows.
Officers with the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office were also there, on foot and on bike, positioned around the edges of the protesters.
Click through the gallery below for scenes from the rally:
The Jacksonville protest came as the death toll overseas crested 11,000 on Friday, Reuters reported. But even as the U.S. publicly supports Israel, public opinion is shifting. Protests have erupted across U.S. cities the past few weeks, calling for a ceasefire. It’s a similar story in nations across the globe. Over 300,000 people marched in London on Saturday, NPR reported.
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