Six months after Oct. 7, pro-Palestinian activists in W-S continue to urge city council to pass ceasefire resolution

Featured photo: On March 25, protesters advocating for a ceasefire and end to US military aid to Israel held up signs at Winston-Salem’s city hall, while another protester advocated for the release of hostages taken by Hamas on Oct. 7. (photo by Gale Melcher).

The retaliatory war in Gaza has been raging for nearly six months, and the effects have reverberated all the way to communities in Winston-Salem.

Activists with Black Lives Matter Winston-Salem and Hate Out of Winston-Salem have been protesting outside city hall and within the council chambers during meetings for months. Last month, dozens of protesters signed up to speak during the monthly public comment period but only a few got the chance due to the city’s 30-minute time limit policy.

On Monday, seven people spoke during the period to demand an immediate ceasefire in a war in which the Israeli government has killed more than 30,000 Palestinians after Hamas, a militant group, killed 1,200 Israelis and took around 240 hostage on Oct. 7.

Before the meeting began, protesters stood at the foot of the staircase leading up to the council chambers, some holding up a sign that begged, “CEASEFIRE NOW” on one side, while others held a banner that read: “From the river to the sea, Free Palestine!” on the other side.

Rafia Kirmani is a Muslim-American and teacher with Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools. Kirmani has “done many shooter drills,” she said. 

“When a gunman infiltrates one of our schools, our response is not to rain bullets and drop bombs, disregarding the lives of students, teachers and staff in order to reach the shooter,” Kirmani said.

A lone counterprotester, who did not want to be named, held a sign that pleaded, “Release the hostages.” They explained to TCB that they were there because they are “not a fan of terrorists,” adding, “I think the hostages should be released. And I think your readers should Google Hamas murder videos.”

Co-chair of Green Party US Tony Ndege, who also leads Black Lives Matter Winston-Salem, said that he didn’t really “want to engage with that person because the majority of people out there stand on our side.”

“I think if someone, at this point, is so fixated on one thing…like less than 200 hostages, whereas now hundreds of thousands of people face starvation, I think they’re not in a rational space to really get a whole lot out of the conversation,” Ndege said.

Within the council chambers, people chanted “Ceasefire now!” and “Let us speak!” after the public comment period ended and city leaders exited into a brief closed session.

When asked whether Winston-Salem would consider a ceasefire resolution, Mayor Allen Joines told TCB, “We don’t see that it’s part of local governments,” instead pointing to moves taken by higher councils, such as the United Nations Security Council which voted 14-0 that day in favor of a resolution that demanded a ceasefire in Gaza for the rest of Ramadan. The United States cast the sole vote abstaining.

Still, the move is something that many city leaders across the country are taking. In North Carolina, city councils in Carrboro and Durham have voted to call for a ceasefire. Other cities across the country including Chicago, San Francisco, Atlanta, Detroit, Seattle and Oakland, Calif. have all passed ceasefire resolutions. In January, Greensboro’s city leaders passed a resolution that called for “peace and support” in the Middle East and urged national leaders to “do everything in their power to end this conflict and to begin the process for a peaceful, sustainable solution.” Still, protesters are not satisfied with the resolution’s language and continue to return month after month demanding that city leaders call for a ceasefire.

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