Following the conclusion of the “No Kings Rally and March” around 2:00 p.m., a new protest in support of Palestine commenced on the iconic Magnificent Mile in downtown Chicago.
The demonstration, organized by a coalition that includes the Chicago Coalition for Justice in Palestine (CCJP), is titled “Support the March to Gaza to End the Genocide.”
The CCJP’s social media post condemned Israel, stating, “Israel violated yet another international law by seizing Madleen #FreedomFlotilla and kidnapping 12 international activists who were sailing to Gaza in an attempt to break the 18-year-old siege on the strip.”
The post further noted that over 7,500 activists, primarily from North Africa, are expected to march on foot to Gaza from Egypt in the coming week.
The coalition urged for a rally in downtown Chicago to express solidarity with these activists and to call for an end to U.S.-funded actions in Palestine.
As crowds began to gather, the earlier “No Kings Rally and March” dissipated, bringing forth two local 17-year-olds, Zuri Primm and Taliah Shelton, who articulated their motivations behind joining the protests.
Primm shared her desire for a better future, stating, “This is my future, you know? I’m the one who has to live in this country. I’m the one who has to continue to go to school in this country. I’m expected to raise a family in this country.”
She emphasized the need for justice, remarking, “And if I’m going to do that, I want it to be right. I want it to be correct.”
Shelton expanded on the urgency for activism, mentioning the historical struggles of Black people. “Even though we went through it, it’s not right for anyone else to go through it as well,” she stated.
She called for immediate action, “We can’t just be saying what we’re going to do and what we should be doing. We have to do it in the moment.”
Shelton also expressed her disappointment regarding the rumored $45 million spent on President Donald Trump’s military parade in Washington D.C., arguing that those funds would have been better allocated to her community.
“It could have put people in homes. It could have helped with the hunger of homeless people. It could have helped with a lot of things,” she remarked.
Across the crowd, Jah Wyatt, a 23-year-old from the South Side, addressed the wider implications of current political struggles. “I come over here because it’s not just my people, but people I care about,” he asserted. “This issue isn’t something that just Hispanics or just Black people should be out supporting, but everybody that’s a part of this country should be supporting this cause because it affects every single one of us.”
Wyatt underscored his concerns about President Donald Trump’s administration, saying, “This man is trying to revert us back to past times. He’s trying to remove certain rights that we have.”
The Chicago Teachers Union joined the protest, adding to the diversity of demonstrators. Members chanted, “We are the union, the mighty, mighty union,” while marching behind a striking red banner that read “Students over billionaires.”
The protest, which has drawn a crowd estimated to be in the tens of thousands, reflects a build-up of public sentiment around issues of justice both domestically and internationally.
As both protests continue, the galvanization of voices calling for change signifies a growing awareness among diverse communities about the interconnected struggles for justice.
image source from：https://thetriibe.com/2025/06/no-kings-protest-begins-in-chicago/
