Hundreds of protesters gathered at New Haven City Hall on Monday night to protest the war in Gaza and police response to student demonstrations.
Protesters called on Yale and New Haven Police to leave them alone during peaceful protests. More than 50 people have been arrested during protests in the city over the last two weeks.
Norm Clement, a New Haven resident, is part of the Party for Socialism and Liberation, which helped plan the rally.
“All of our rallies are peaceful,” Clement said. “They're peaceful until the police come in and crack down on people, and then it becomes a riot. They show up in riot gear with guns, and pepper spray and batons and beat people and throw them to the ground.”
Clement, who said he has been protesting in support of Palestine since 1967, supports the ceasefire resolution. The city Board of Alders voted to read and file the legislation on Monday night — meaning they did not pass or dismiss it, but will look into it further.
Francesca Maria, a Yale alumnus and New Haven resident, supports the resolution. She said she would rather see her tax dollars go to local issues — and hopes that by passing a resolution, the state’s federal delegation will take the issue up on a larger scale.
“it is our issue when more than a million dollars of federal taxes from New Haven residents every year, go to military aid to Israel instead of going to our schools to our community, to housing to health care,” Maria said. “I would say it's our issue because our federal elected officials, both the congressional delegation and our state senators continue to vote in support of the genocide.”
Bridgeport and more than 70 other U.S. cities have passed resolutions to call for a ceasefire.
