In Salt Lake, more than 200 protest Israel’s attack on small town of Rafah in Gaza
Feb 13, 2024, 10:46 PM | Updated: Feb 14, 2024, 5:42 am
SALT LAKE CITY — More than 200 people filled a downtown Salt Lake City intersection Tuesday to protest Israel’s attack on Gaza, specifically the small southern city of Rafah. The pro-Palestinian protest filled 400 South and 400 West at the southwest corner of Pioneer Park for nearly two hours. Those involved shouted “Free Palestine” among other things.
Aziz Abuzyed was one of the protestors. He carried a Palestinian flag. He told KSL TV he grew up in Rafah.
“This is not fair, this doesn’t sound right and Americans deserve better,” he’s referring to government money going to Israel in what is expected to be a full incursion of Rafah in the coming days. The area is said to be the last place where 1.4 million Palestinians are taking refuge with nowhere else to go. The humanitarian conditions are already dire, according to Abuzyed.
“I know so many people including my cousin who passed away because of the extreme cold, she was nine months pregnant,” Abuzyed said. He wants to get his message across to U.S. lawmakers. “I just want to say to all Americans that we need to keep speaking out. This is American money being taken away from us, being taken away from homeless people, from the education.”
Organizers said they chose a busy intersection to make a point and to get officials to take notice.
