A large group of protesters brought a Durham City Council meeting to a standstill Monday night for about 15 minutes, calling for a ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas war.
“We breathe together. We breathe together. We breathe together. Stop the occupation,” they sang, many holding red roses in the air to symbolize lives lost in the war in Gaza.
The protest began at 7:45 p.m. during a public hearing on an unrelated zoning case. At least 150 people entered into the chambers before the building was cleared and locked.
Rania Masri stood in the front holding a small body wrapped in the Palestinian flag.
“In the Muslim faith, the martyrs are wrapped in a cloth, not put in a coffin,” she said outside, tears coming to her eyes. “For me, it feels like I’m living during the Holocaust and hearing people justify that it’s okay.”
The gathering occasionally grew tense with a small contingent of Israeli supporters, who held Israeli flags and anti-Hamas signs.
A dozen police officers stood between the protesters and the city council.