SALT LAKE CITY — A rally was held Saturday afternoon at the Utah State Capitol in support of Palestine amid the war between Israel and Hamas.
The demonstration was organized by multiple groups: Palestinian Solidarity Utah, Arabs in Utah, Emerald Project SLC, and the Party for Socialism and Liberation.
It was a chance for people to come together to show their support for the people of Palestine. The Associated Press reports that 4,385 people have been killed in Gaza, while the death toll in Israel is 1,400 as of Saturday.
Part of the rally's mission was to call for an end to "human rights violations," a press release said, as well as calling for an end to the United States aiding Israel.
"Every human matters, every child matters, especially those that are innocent and have been born into this world not knowing any of that," said Jamie Heusser, a mom who attended the rally with one of her children. "I have two kids, and seeing that is just heart-wrenching because I can't even imagine how horrible that would be."
"And yes, what happened to Israel is wrong, but their response has been 10 times if not more and is not right," Heusser continued. "We have to stand up against what's wrong, and this is wrong."
“Biden's trip to Israel essentially gave the Israeli government the blank check to commit war crimes and atrocities,” said Nick Stender, who helped organize the event with the Party for Socialism and Liberation. “We are calling for an end to all aid to Israel."
The Utah Highway Patrol estimates about 800 people attended the protest.
