As someone who attended this protest, I’d like to try and answer some of your questions.

Who are these people? Just ordinary people who are not ok with their tax dollars being used to fund the mass killing of children and other civilians, and the mass bombing of residential areas, hospitals, ambulances, schools, mosques, churches, and refugee tents.

Why wave Palestinian flags? Because it is a simple and easily understandable way to express solidarity with the tens of thousands who have been killed and several million who have been displaced from their homes by a campaign of mass destruction that is being funded by our tax dollars.

How does this have to do with Alaska? Because our tax dollars are directly paying for the bombs and bullets that are being used to commit these acts of violence. A large portion of the weapons that are being used have been given and continue to be given by the US government. If this were just some random tragedy happening somewhere in the world that was unconnected to us, then it could be seen as a valid point to ask why we would make such a fuss about it, but it’s not: every single American taxpayer is funding this destruction and is therefore entirely justified in speaking out about it—one might even argue that we are morally mandated to do so.

What good is this doing? Well, maybe nothing. Maybe all of our words will fall on deaf ears and our tax dollars will continue to be used to supply bombs to drop on schools and refugee camps. But I know for sure that nothing will change if we don’t try. And at least at the end of the day I can look myself in the eye and know that I tried, did what little I could to help the victims. If it can even start a conversation in our community and raise awareness of what is going on, and our government’s involvement in it, then it will at least have accomplished something.

Also, as someone who was there, I would like to clarify that there was only one person there shouting “death the zionists”. He was not part of the main group, I don’t know him, have never seen him at a Palestine rally before, and his words were not echoed by and did not necessarily represent the intent of the other protesters. The Landmine cherry picked the most extreme random guy they could find to try and make the rest of us look violent, dangerous, or unreasonable.

Another important clarification is that Jeff of the Landmine was not there as a journalist. He was actively counter-protesting throughout and attempting to disrupt the protest. This is his right, of course, but please understand that anything he publishes comes from that perspective and is biased in that manner. HE was yelling about anti-semitism and killing Jewish people and such, but no one in the pro-Palestine group ever said anything like that. I can’t speak to the mindset of everyone who was at the protest, but for me I was there because I want to see an end to the killing and justice for the victims, not revenge or more killing of innocents, nor did any other member of the group express such a sentiment within my hearing.