Muslim and Jewish Rhode Islanders tell Rep Magaziner to stop funding genocide

"We demand that you call for an immediate and permanent ceasefire..."

From a press release:

Dozens of Muslim and Jewish Rhode Islanders visited the local office of United States Representative Seth Magaziner (Democrat, Rhode Island) on Thursday to state their demands for a ceasefire and an end to United States funding for Israel’s genocide of Palestinians. The action began around noon, when a group of Muslim and Palestinian women and community leaders delivered a letter, signed by members of a Rhode Island Calls for Palestine WhatsApp group that has been driving hundreds of calls daily to Rhode Island congresspeople. Over the past month, the smallest state in the country has ranked highest in daily call volume on behalf of Palestinians in Gaza, with Rhode Islanders making more than 1000 calls each day.

The videos and the pictures in this piece were supplied by the participants:

The letter delivered to Representative Magaziner’s office states:

“Over the past 133 days, Rhode Islanders across the state have watched the attempted genocide of the Palestinian people. We have seen images of literal hell on our phones day in and out. The horrific pictures of men digging desperately through the rubble searching for their loved ones. We see women sobbing at the loss of their children. We see young kids left without even one family member to care for them. We see the desperation of people needing the very basics of food, water, access to shelter, and toilets. And we see the silence of our politicians…

“We Rhode Islanders demand that you immediately stop funding the genocide against the Palestinian people. We demand that you call for an immediate and permanent ceasefire. We demand that you vote against the purposeful silencing of Palestinian voices and allies.”

Next, a group of Jewish community members with Jewish Voice for Peace - Rhode Island entered the office with their hands painted red to demonstrate that Representative Magaziner and other congresspeople who haven’t yet called for a ceasefire have blood on their hands. As the Israeli military carries out airstrikes in Rafah, it further endangers over one million people, more than 80% of Gazans, who are sheltering there after months of bombing with nowhere else to evacuate.

Before chanting, the JVP members read the following statement:

“We are here today to demand that Representative Magaziner vote NO on H.R. 815, which would send $14.3 billion to Israel as it threatens an imminent ground invasion of Rafah, the most densely populated area in the world, where Palestinians face imminent starvation and humanitarian disaster. We ask Representative Magaziner to make good on his ‘strong opposition to any consideration of the idea of forced transfer of Palestinians out of Gaza,’ which he voiced by signing a letter along with Representatives Ayanna Pressley and Jamie Raskin on January 18. Representative Magaziner, NOW is the time to act to prevent the ethnic cleansing and forced displacement of 1.5 million Palestinians. You must vote no! There is blood on your hands!”

Following the letter delivery and demonstration inside Magaziner’s office, the protest continued outside with a rally led by the Party for Socialism and Liberation - Rhode Island, which asked participants to “Tell Our Congressmen: No Money for War, Borders, or Genocide.”