Activists in Duluth ramp up pro-Palestinian demonstrations, set up encampment
Organizers with the Duluth Palestine Solidarity Camp say about 50 people gathered Wednesday night in the Rose Garden at Duluth’s Leif Erikson Park along Lake Superior, and roughly 15 camped there overnight. They dispersed early Thursday morning, but pledged to return this evening and urged others to join them.
“We are calling for the city of Duluth to pass a cease-fire resolution,” said Rachel Steinberg, a spokesperson for the camp who describes herself as an anti-Zionist Jew.
“Many of us who are here spoke several weeks ago giving testimony in support of that. It did not pass. And of course we want everyone to divest from anything supporting Israel, and there are many, many companies that are Israeli or support Israel or support the Israeli settlements,” she said.
The group says the Minnesota State Board of Investment has invested tens of millions of dollars in Israeli companies, companies that support Israel or companies that provide weapons to Israel.
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In March, the Duluth City Council rejected on a 5-4 vote a resolution that called for a permanent end to the fighting between Israeli and Hamas forces in Gaza, despite the pleas of many Duluth residents who spoke at council meetings and wrote passionate emails urging members to pass a cease-fire resolution.
Encampment organizers say in addition to advocating for the cease-fire resolution, they have contacted politicians, attended peaceful protests, organized educational events and raised thousands of dollars for the Palestine Red Crescent Society.
“We are giving Israel the bombs to commit genocide,” said Steinberg. “We have tried many tactics to get across that this is not OK, and they have not worked. So, we are trying another. And we are here in peace and in solidarity. Not as a threat.”
A statement the group sent out Wednesday evening said protesters saw “no other option than to rise up in solidarity with student occupations around the country.”
Pro-Palestinian demonstrators at the University of Minnesota ended a days-long encampment Thursday morning after organizers reached an agreement with university administration.
The city of Duluth said it was aware of the encampment at the Rose Garden, and a separate demonstration outside City Hall.
“The demonstrations at this time remain peaceful and are a respectful expression of the parties’ First Amendment Rights,” city officials wrote in a statement released Wednesday evening. “Currently, there is no concern for public safety. We will continue to monitor the situation.”
But in an update released Thursday morning, officials issued a “reminder” that city parks are closed between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m., and that camping is prohibited. The statement said that violators would be “cited or directed to leave,” and those who refuse may be “subject to removal.”
When asked whether she saw the group staying at the park Thursday night and beyond, Steinberg said “it’s an emergent situation and we’re going to respond as needed to how things evolve.”