Prayer and Police: Hundreds call for permanent ceasefire outside State House and Providence Place Mall

“All across the country, this Black Friday, people are marching and rising up to let the world know that there will be no business as usual until Palestine is free.”

Nov 27, 2023

Hundreds of people gathered by the south steps of the Rhode Island State House on Black Friday to call for a permanent ceasefire in the Israel-Palestine War. It is the third weekly protest organized by Rhode Island’s Party for Socialism and Liberation in collaboration with student groups from several area colleges and universities. [See: here and here.]

The event started with a Jum'ah, or Friday prayer, an Islamic religious ritual. The prayer was led by Islamic Center of Rhode Island Imam Abdul-Latif Sackor, and happened in the context of a recent shooting outside that Mosque on November 17. Police have yet to determine if the shooting was a hate crime. [As I prepared this report, I learned of a shooting in Vermont where three young Palestinian university students were shot while wearing traditional Palestinian garb. Brown Alumni for Palestine took to Instagram to write, "We as Brown University alumni are saddened and angered to hear about the shooting of three Palestinian college students, including a current Brown University student. Brown University, in its lack of concern for Palestinian life, is complicit in this violence." [Edited]

After the prayers, there were a series of speeches. You can watch the entirety of the protest here:

During the protest, there were at least a dozen police officers, including officers from the Rhode Island State Police, the Providence Police Department, and Capitol Police keeping a watchful eye. Surveillance drones hovered overhead.

After the speeches, organizers led the crowd on a short march to the Providence Place Mall. Here the police lined up and prevented the protesters from entering the mall, even as those who appeared to be holiday shoppers were allowed to exit and enter.

“All across the country, this Black Friday, people are marching and rising up to let the world know that there will be no business as usual until Palestine is free,” said Maya, one of the two emcees for the protest. “We cannot believe that it's a coincidence that they engineered this ceasefire for Black Friday so that Americans, perhaps, could shop as usual.

“We cannot believe that the amount of police who are present with us today has nothing to do with Black Friday. And the fact [is] that they are tasked to protect private property in none other than the center of commerce, the Providence Place Mall. Today we were going to march into Providence Place Mall to give the people of Providence our voices and let them know that business as usual will not continue. But I don't think the police who are gathered here are going to let us do that because they're not here to protect us.

“Have you ever seen this many cops standing here during a normal protest where we don't have prayer on the State House steps? Have you ever seen this many cops here at a Palestine protest on a day other than the biggest day of sales in the US year? No. But that's not going to stop us. Today we are still going to march. We are still going to take the streets in front of the Providence Place Mall and let them know that there will be no business as usual until Palestine is free. We are going to form up and we are going to march. Stay close, stay together, and follow the directions of the marshalls who are in the orange vests. If you're with me, say Free Palestine! Free Palestine!”

Outside the entrance to the Providence Place Mall, there was more chanting and more speeches. Speakers highlighted the unprecedented humanitarian and health crisis in Palestine, as hospitals and essential services are compromised.

After returning to the south steps of the State House the protest concluded.

It was an entirely peaceful event.