Protesters take to the streets in Center City Philadelphia to call for Gaza ceasefire
PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- Protesters blocked some streets in Center City Philadelphia on Tuesday morning to call for a ceasefire in Gaza.
The protesters initially blocked the intersection of Broad and Walnut streets around 9:30 a.m.
About 40 minutes later they marched down Walnut to Rittenhouse Square where they held another demonstration.
The protesters left by about 10:45 a.m.
The group "Jewish Voice for Peace Philadelphia" organized the protest.
Along with a ceasefire, they also called for divestment from the Israeli government.
They initially staged outside the Development Corporation of Israel office, calling for divestment from what are known as Israel bonds.
The protesters say the sale of those bonds funds the Israeli military which, in the view of these protesters, has been overstepping humanitarian boundaries in the war against Hamas.
"Israel Bonds fund the genocide of Palestinians, and we stand in front of this Israel Bonds office as Israel prepares to invade Rafah, as millions suffer without healthcare or food. As Gaza faces utter destruction, I can say with great shame that these Israel bonds purchased by my family fund Palestinian genocide," said one protester.
Philadelphia police were on the scene to direct traffic around the demonstration.
This protest came just a few days after a two-week-long pro-Palestinian protest encampment was broken up at the University of Pennsylvania.
A total of 33 people were arrested and cited for trespassing when police cleared out the encampment early Friday morning.
