"We will not stay quiet in the face of slaughter" and "war criminals are not welcome here" were two of the many messages espoused Wednesday as upward of two dozen protesters stood outside Columbia City Hall against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's joint message to Congress.
"We strongly oppose the invitation of any wanted war criminal to speak before a joint session of the US Congress," said Rasha Abousalem, one of the many speakers, who also included an interfaith coalition of Christian and Muslim faith leaders and a member of Columbia's Jewish community.
The protest in front of Columbia City Hall started at noon and was expected to stay there until 4 p.m. before moving to the intersection of Broadway and Providence, where the demonstration was set to last until 6 p.m.
People joining the protest came from a myriad of local and statewide groups, including COMO Jews 4 Ceasefire; Mid-Missouri Democratic Socialists of America; Mid-Missouri Peaceworks; Mid-Missouri Fellowship of Reconciliation; Missourians for Justice in Palestine; Mid-Missouri Veterans for Peace; and Mizzou Students for Justice in Palestine.
Upward of 40,000 people have been killed in the latest Israel-Hamas war. Congress was swarmed by protesters ahead of Netanyahu's speech Wednesday afternoon . The invitation to speak has drawn criticism from those outraged by Israel's invasion of the Gaza Strip.
A "diverse coalition" of more than 100 congressional interns anonymously signed a letter denouncing Netanyahu's visit.
"As interns, we are united in our moral and ethical concerns regarding Prime Minister Netanyahu’s actions and policies in Gaza," says the letter, which accused Netanyahu of "obstructing ceasefire negotiations, hindering humanitarian aid, and targeting civilian infrastructure." It blames his policies for the "catastrophic humanitarian crises."
Dozens of Democratic lawmakers did not attend Netanyahu's speech . This included second-ranking Senate Democrat Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., who said in a statement that Israel’s execution of the war in Gaza “is a brutal strategy beyond any acceptable level of self-defense.”
“Netanyahu’s refusal to consider any peace plan that gives both Israelis and Palestinians a guarantee of security is inconsistent with a peaceful conclusion to this age-old conflict,” Durbin said. “I will stand by Israel, but I will not stand and cheer its current Prime Minister at tomorrow’s Joint Session.”
All four top congressional leaders invited Netanyahu to speak to Congress, including Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y.
A major issue for demonstrators is the money and weapons supplied to Israel by the U.S.
"This speech will reinforce the Israel-American relationship," Abousalem said.
Netanyahu also is expected to have visits with President Joe Biden on Thursday and former President Donald Trump on Friday . A private meeting with Vice President Kamala Harris also is expected. She did not preside over the joint congressional session as she was traveling Wednesday.
Harris has not broken with Biden's support for Israel but was one of the first high-profile members of his administration to call for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza in March, calling the conflict a "humanitarian catastrophe."
Netanyahu last addressed a joint session of Congress nine years ago when he was invited by then-House Speaker John Boehner of Ohio.
More: 'We don't support this genocide': Protesters converge on Capitol against Netanyahu
John Bacon, Jorge L. Ortiz, Christopher Cann, Cybele Mayes-Osterman, Riley Beggin and Rachel Barber of USA TODAY contributed to this report. The Columbia Daily Tribune is part of the USA TODAY network.
Charles Dunlap covers local government, community stories and other general subjects for the Tribune. You can reach him at cdunlap@columbiatribune.com or @CD_CDT on X, formerly Twitter. Subscribe to support vital local journalism.
This article originally appeared on Columbia Daily Tribune: Columbia demonstrators protest Benjamin Netanyahu's speech to Congress
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