NASHVILLE—On Oct. 4, just ahead of the announcement that a ceasefire agreement had been reached, several hundred marchers gathered in Nashville to commemorate the two years of genocide in Gaza as well as the previous 69 years of savage oppression and ethnic cleansing of the Palestinian people from their ancestral homelands.
Embarking on a “Two-Mile Walk for Palestine,” the marchers demanded peace and humanitarian aid for the war-ravaged people of Gaza.
Worldwide recognition of the unspeakable horror that has taken place in Gaza—the daily massacres of helpless children, women, and men by constant Israeli military strikes both from the air and ground, the Israeli blockade of the most essentials of food and water—by 150 nations in the U.N. (though not including the United States) was also noted by attendees.
The walk began at the intersection of 22nd and Charlotte Avenue, which is the location of the headquarters of Starbucks and L3 Harris, two corporations charged with doing business with Israel. Walkers continued on to the corporate headquarters of Caterpillar, which also does business with the Israeli state.
Chants of the marchers included: “No more hiding, no more fear, we want justice everywhere,” “Resistance is justified, when we are facing genocide,” and “ Gaza, Gaza don’t you cry, Palestine will never die,” among others.
The organizers of the walk condemned the ultimatum made by Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Donald Trump that Hamas—and Gaza as a whole—accept Trump’s 20-point plan or face annihilation. Attendees expressed hope that an agreement could be reached to end the further genocide of the Gazan people; a ceasefire was announced less than a week later.
The walk demanded an end to U.S. government assistance, enabling the Israeli military’s war crimes to continue. It urged the people of Nashville in particular and the people of the U.S. as a whole to boycott organizations and corporations that activists see as complicit in these war crimes, such as Starbucks, L3 Harris, and Caterpillar.
The walk was sponsored by a number of diverse organizations, including the Black Alliance for Peace, Middle Tennessee Christians for Peace, Nashville Jews for Justice, Nashville Stands with Palestine, Nashville Peace and Justice Center, and Veterans for Peace.
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