Weekly Rally Advocates for Cease-Fire and Palestinian Solidarity

A group of people holding signs and flags in support of Palestineon the sidewalk of Main Street in Beacon, New York. Credit: Erin-Leigh Hoffman ‘24

Every Sunday afternoon since the weekend of Feb. 4, rain or shine, residents of the Hudson Valley gather at a small park in Beacon, New York, to rally around a cause based on Palestinian liberation and government accountability.

The weekly weekend rally in Beacon calls for a cease-fire and Palestinian liberation, while also pressuring the Beacon City Council to pass a cease-fire resolution. Homemade signs, the Palestinian flag and instruments were used by demonstrators to grab the attention of passersby to keep the suffering of Gazan civilians at the forefront of their minds.

Anusha Mehar has attended the weekly rally at Polhill Park and helped the City of Newburgh pass its cease-fire resolution through its city council - a position she is currently running for. Mehar explains that this is not her first time at this park as a lifelong activist. She reflects on this action saying, “I think we are a part of a coalition of people, officially and unofficially, that is working to get ceasefire resolutions across the Hudson Valley.”

Mehar also notes this action is done “as a means of strategically elevating the voice and the will of the people,” who in the majority support a ceasefire, but whose wishes are not being reflected by their elected officials. She explains there needs to be pressure on officials, so they can “understand the consequences and repercussions of their actions in this moment.”

Kemal Jamal of Beacon waves the Irish flag at a crosswalk in Beacon, New York Feb. 25. Credit: Erin-Leigh Hoffman ‘26

Founder of Next Step Hudson Valley and Beacon native Ali Fawiq Muhammad attended the Beacon City Council meetings, in which he observed the attendees coming from diverse backgrounds but united in the desire for a cease-fire resolution. “The majority overwhelmingly spoke in support of Beacon passing a cease-fire resolution, many Jewish people, many from different walks of life,” Muhammad recalls. He believes there are elected federal officials who do not know the story of Palestine or the Palestinian people, so “every resolution that passes is not only upward pressure, but also gets to share the testimony of the Palestinian people.”

Present at the rally was Kamel Jamal, a Palestinian-American and owner of Beacon Bread Company and Ziatun. Jamal wore his keffiyeh and waved the Irish flag as a demonstration of solidarity between the Palestinian and Irish people as cars passed by, honking their horns. “They share the same struggle that we are fighting now through oppression and colonization with the English. They are the first ones to stand up on our side so we stand with them,” said Jamal. 

When asked about his heritage as a Palestinian while living in the Hudson Valley, Jamal said, “I felt betrayed in the beginning, and now I feel love more than ever. I think the world has shifted, and the love is there, it’s real.”

Along with Jamal, owners of some businesses in Beacon are expressing their support for Palestinian liberation through their storefronts and social media. Laura Bellizzi, co-owner of Binnacle Books on Main Street, has been a frequent attendee at Beacon City Council meetings and spreads awareness of the humanitarian ordeal through her social media and the books in the shop. 

“We’re not just a retail store. We are really focused on being a community resource,” said Bellizzi. “We’ve been providing books for people about activism and social justice, restorative justice, and the people’s liberation movements has been central to our mission since we opened in 2016.” Bellizzi expressed how this conflict has become personal to her as a Jewish woman, and close friends, whom she considers family, are Palestinian. 

Despite a united group of people supporting a cease-fire resolution, backlash has occurred. Beacon City Administrator Chris White ripped a banner from the hands of a protester during a demonstration at the Jan. 6 swearing-in ceremony of Mayor Lee Kryiacou. 

With Congressman Pat Ryan present, demonstrators were present with banners and signs. White, along with three veterans, prevented the unraveling of a banner by keeping a grip on it, according to the Highlands Current. An individual at the Beacon rally on Sunday was present at the ceremony. They explained that the demonstrators were escorted out from the building by police and the veterans present. White grabbed a sign from the hands of the demonstrator. 

An article published by A Little Beacon Blog contains video footage of the event, and White is seen grabbing the sign and subsequently ripping it as he pulls it away. The article says, “According to the demonstrators, the female Police Officer gave them a warning before arresting. At the warning, the demonstrators agreed to leave without being arrested. It was at that time that the demonstrators began their exit.” At this time, White is maintaining his position despite backlash, no arrests have been made and no comment from Ryan on the event as confirmed by Katie Hellmuth of A Little Beacon Blog.

Chiara DiLello, an elementary school teacher from Beacon, said about this matter at the city council meeting on Jan. 22, “Putting hands on other people, destroying their property, keeping them from speaking their piece – those are behaviors I wouldn’t allow in my fifth-grade classroom.”

Not everyone on the council is against a ceasefire resolution – as presented by at-large Rep. Paloma Wake of Beacon. She made the case to her colleagues by noting that $200,000 of taxpayer dollars in Beacon are going towards funding this conflict and calling Beacon “‘a powerful voting bloc’ for the elected federal officials who would receive the resolution.”

As of writing, Beacon City Council has not formally passed a cease-fire resolution, but there is a draft resolution that will be voted on Monday, March 4. The cities of Newburgh and Hudson have passed cease-fire resolutions, and Ryan has not formally agreed to a permanent cease-fire but has called for a temporary cease-fire in light of the Rafah City invasion as reported by City & State New York.