Less than a week after the escalation in Gaza began on Oct. 7, three protests by supporters of the Palestinian movement took place outside The School of the Art Institute of Chicago, and into the greater Loop area. The protests were organized by the Chicago Coalition for Justice in Palestine, along with representatives from the Dissenters, Jewish Voices for Peace Action, and Black Lives Matter (Chicago).
The venue for the first protest was 500 West Madison Street, which is near the Israeli embassy; the second was held on Ida B. Wells Street; and the third witnessed a group of about 15,000 people who met at Ida B. Wells Street and walked to Michigan Avenue. An even larger protest took place on Oct. 21, at the corner of Michigan Avenue and Ida B. Wells before the crowd walked all the way to Michigan Avenue.
Text: Marium Asif, Photo by F Newsmagazine Staff
A protester wears a mask and holds a sign in support of Palestinians at an Oct. 14 rally. Many of the rallies have passed by The Art Institute and other SAIC buildings.
Participants of all ages attended the rally. “This is war crimes,” said a woman who attended the rally with her baby. She asked not to be named for privacy reasons. Human Rights Watch, an international organization for human rights, claims that the State of Israel used white phosphorus in military operations in Lebanon and Gaza on Oct. 10 and 11, 2023, respectively.
A protester’s sign stating solidarity with Palestinian people. Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker pledged support to Israel during an Israeli solidarity event in Glencoe that drew a few hundred people. Recent rallies in Chicago have shown support of Palestinians.
In Chicago, three major protests have taken place in support of Palestinians. Axios Chicago reports that the city is home to 85,000 Palestinians, forming 60 percent of the the city’s Arab population.
A woman with a painted heart on her face looks out over the crowd. The organizers and protesters chanted slogans like, “Netanyahu you can’t hide. We charge you with genocide.” Along with: “Gaza, Gaza don’t you cry, Palestine will never die.”
A sea of protesters march forward down the street on October 14, carrying printed signs. “I believe in the rights of people to determine their own future and not to be under occupation. Israelis need to put down their arms, for a settled peace, for a sharing of land. [The end of the war] It’s horrible. It’s going to be terrible,” said one of the protesters, Sean Obidah. The current war began when Hamas attacked Israel on October 7.
