Hillsborough County demonstration sparks controversy as Gov. Ron DeSantis criticizes support for Palestine

Share
israel palestinian Palestine solidarity protest in Tampa 15 May 2021. By Blannie Whelan/WMNF News.
Palestine solidarity protest in Tampa 15 May 2021. By Blannie Whelan/WMNF News.

Listen:

On Sunday, hundreds gathered near Tampa to show support to the people of Palestine. However,  Governor DeSantis took to social media to call the demonstrations abhorrent.

The demonstration came after Hamas fighters attacked Israel during a surprise attack a day prior. Israel declared war afterward.

Demonstrators met in North 56th Street and East Fowler Avenue.

DeSantis later posted on social media Sunday that the rallies in Tampa and Fort Lauderdale were “supporting Hamas” are “abhorrent.”

Abdullah Jabar is with CAIR Florida, a Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization. He was at the protests.

“Siding with one side is again, the root of the problem. We are siding with one side without really looking at the root cause.”

Hassan Shibly, a civil rights lawyer, was also in attendance.

“I see many of my fellow Americans outraged when they see an Israeli child killed, as they should be, as we all are, but we heard deafening silence when, day after day, we see Palestinian children killed.”

Also on Sunday, Tampa Mayor Jane Castor issued a statement in support of Israel.

The mayor and governor joined President Biden and other US leaders in declaring support for Israel.

Leave a Reply

  • (will not be published)

XHTML: You can use these tags: <a href="" title=""> <abbr title=""> <acronym title=""> <b> <blockquote cite=""> <cite> <code> <del datetime=""> <em> <i> <q cite=""> <s> <strike> <strong>

You may also like

student meal
Next school year Hillsborough public schools are offering free meals

Hillsborough Public Schools are offering students free meals for the...

Correspondence Through Poetry. A Mind-Numbing Week.

Father Verses Sons: A Correspondence in Poems by Herbert Gold...

The sound of change: Music’s influence on anti-war and human rights movements

Throughout history, music has served as a powerful catalyst for...

a man in a tye dye shirt talking on a radio microphone
Recreational pot for Florida is on the ballot this fall—let’s talk about it

In four months, Florida voters have the opportunity to vote...

Ways to listen

WMNF is listener-supported. That means we don't advertise like a commercial station, and we're not part of a university.

Ways to support

WMNF volunteers have fun providing a variety of needed services to keep your community radio station alive and kickin'.

Follow us on Instagram

Gospel Classic Hour
Player position: