The gazebo at Juneau’s Marine Park was packed on Saturday as a crowd of about 150 people stood in the cold to show their support for Palestinians amid the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas.
Many held signs and wore the colors of the flag of Palestine as they rallied to urge officials in Juneau — and across the state and country — to call for a permanent ceasefire in Gaza, where health officials say thousands of Palestinians have been killed in Israeli airstrikes.
Nicole Church, an Indigenous singer and songwriter, gave an impassioned speech at the event and was one of many who called what was happening in Gaza a genocide.
“If we must call it a war, call it a war of annihilation. Make no mistake, there is a genocide happening right now in Gaza as we speak,” she said.
According to the health ministry in Gaza, the death toll since the conflict began in October is nearly 30,000.
The event, organized by Juneau for Palestine, lasted nearly two hours. Multiple speakers shared stories and their views on the issue.
Ernestine Shaankaláx̱t’ Hayes, an award-winning Lingít author and elder, said she often asks herself what she would do if something like what is happening in Gaza happened in Juneau today.
“What would I do? Where could I go? What would we do? Where would we be safe?” she said. “Our homes would be rubble, our hospitals would be bombed, where would we take our wounded loved ones? To find care, to be safe?”
The organizers shared a citizen’s resolution calling on the Juneau Assembly to support a permanent ceasefire, among other requests. The group previously offered the resolution to the Assembly at a public meeting last month.
Only two Juneau Assembly members, Christine Woll and Paul Kelly, were at the event on Saturday. In an interview, Woll said she is appalled at what is happening in Gaza.
“There are so many people dying right now, and the U.S. government is participating in that — and it feels hopeless sometimes,” she said. “But when you get together with your community, it’s helpful to see how many people are in opposition to that.”
She said she is planning to speak with other Assembly members this week to gauge whether they would support a resolution.
“To me, this is something that, if enough people speak up in our community and communities across the country, maybe we can have a difference,” she said.
Paul Kelly said he was inspired by the people who spoke at the rally but worries a resolution that takes a stance could isolate some members of the community.
“Before we do a resolution that speaks to how we as a community are taking a position, I want to make sure that I’m not alienating any of my own constituents as well,” he said.
Similar resolutions are being considered in other Alaska cities. The Anchorage Assembly is expected to vote Tuesday on a resolution calling on Alaska’s congressional delegation to support a ceasefire in Gaza.
