Dozens of protesters calling for an end to Israeli military strikes in Gaza forced a sudden halt to the regular meeting of the St. Paul City Council on Wednesday, interrupting proceedings with chants of “Free, free Palestine!” and accusations that the council had turned a deaf ear to repeated calls for a written ceasefire resolution.

“You’re scared to go ahead and say what’s right, and that’s why it took decades to end segregation in this country,” yelled lead chant organizer Sabry Wazwaz, a member of the Minnesota Anti-War Committee, addressing the city council.

“I’m ashamed I voted for you!” shouted another protester.

Protesters calling for a ceasefire in Gaza forced the St. Paul City Council to halt its regularly-scheduled meeting in the downtown City Hall chambers on Feb. 21, 2024. (Frederick Melo / Pioneer Press)

Council President Mitra Jalali, who has personally supported a ceasefire in Gaza, repeatedly attempted to explain that there was no written resolution prepared and she did not have votes lined up to pass one.

“Here’s the issue. There’s no item procedurally for you all to speak to, because there isn’t a resolution,” said Jalali, who was immediately shouted down.

“I don’t make decisions in a vacuum,” she added later, before leaving the council chamber with the majority of the other council members as protesters broke into chants of “We want a vote!” and “St. Paul Council, you can’t hide! Help us stop this genocide!”

Council Member Nelsie Yang, who has said she would support a council resolution, was the sole council member to remain in her chair. Once the protesters had cleared the room to deliver remarks outside City Hall, four council members later returned to their seats to officially close out the abbreviated meeting.

Protesters representing the Anti-War Committee, Jewish Voice for Peace, Women Against Military Madness, American Muslims for Palestine and the Council on American Islamic Relations previously attended a Feb. 14 council meeting holding signs calling for a ceasefire resolution, but did not interrupt the council meeting at that time.

On Wednesday, some protesters held up paper signs that read “1,500 Gazans killed since our first visit to this chamber.”

At least 70 cities across the nation have taken up resolutions calling for a ceasefire, a topic that has split Democrats more so than Republicans but is gaining support in both parties as the situation in Gaza boils into a humanitarian crisis.

The Minneapolis City Council recently adopted a resolution and then, on Feb. 8, overturned Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey’s veto of their language, which Frey had criticized as one-sided. The Hastings City Council unanimously approved a cease-fire resolution in January, and the Brooklyn Park City Council delayed a vote on Feb. 12 due to council member absences.

Israel began military operations in Gaza following the Oct. 7 attack by the militant Palestinian organization Hamas, which killed about 1,200 people, mostly Israeli civilians. Another 250 people were abducted.

The U.S. State Department has defined Hamas as a terrorist organization, but the continued bombardment of Palestinian territory has claimed the lives of scores of noncombatants in Gaza, inspiring calls for cease-fire from advocacy groups, individual governments and the United Nations General Assembly.

Upwards of 29,000 people have been killed in Gaza, intensifying political pressure on the U.S. government, a major supporter of Israel.

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