LEXINGTON, Ky. (LEX 18) — Protestors rallied for Gaza at the University of Kentucky Wednesday evening. Organizers said they want local leaders to do more to advocate for a cease-fire.
Members of Lex4Palestine rallied in front of the William T. Young Library along with people from campus and across the community, protesting the war in Gaza.
"They’re killing babies. They’re killing families. I think it’s a genocide, and I just want to do everything I can to help bring out that we’re not all terrorists, that we’re all family-oriented people. I’m just tired of people making me feel like I’m a terrorist everywhere I go," said Joanne Martha.
"I hope that more people would advocate for a cease-fire. We have to stop sending military equipment to bomb civilians. It's wrong," said Dr. Nadia Rasheed.
The rally lasted about two hours, from 5:00 P.M. to 7:00 P.M. Organizers gave speeches and led chants while supporters waved signs and Palestinian flags.
Video posted to the organizations Instagram account showed banners unfurling and leaflets being dropped inside the library. They also posted a list of demands made to the University of Kentucky, which included divesting its financial investments and ties to Israel, stopping collaboration with Israeli academic institutions, banning Kentucky State Police and Lexington Police from the campus, condemning the destruction of universities in Gaza, and having University of Kentucky President Eli Capilouto make a statement supporting the Palestinian community on campus.
One of the organizers is Ben Bandy, a member of the Jewish faith and also a member of Lex4Palestine. He said his studies in history gave him a unique perspective.
"It really opened my eyes to seeing that this is so against my Jewish values, my Jewish values of humanity, of 'tikkun olam,' which means 'Heal the world.' It's really jarring to see the atrocities that are happening and to see people excuse it in the name of Zionism because these are not the Jewish values that I know. One genocide does not justify another," Bandy said.
As demonstrations play out across the country, people at the rally in Lexington said they hope peace will follow.
"I think that Jewish people, Muslims, Palestinians, and Christians, we all need to get together and have a dialogue, so that way we can come forward to an understanding of where everybody is coming from, and I really feel that having those understandings and that compassion is the road forward," Bandy said.
"We want peace. We want our own country. We do not want to eliminate Israel. We want to live in peace together. Whatever way we can do it, we would love to do it. We need to stop killing each other and we need to just sit down and talk to each other," Martha said.
