Chicagoans for Palestine protest in the Loop for second straight weekend

Thousands of pro-Palestinian demonstrators took over the streets in downtown Chicago on Saturday.

Led by the Chicago Coalition for Justice in Palestine, the march started on East Wacker Drive and made its way to South Clark Street.

Last weekend, an estimated 25,000 protesters for Palestine were in downtown Chicago shutting down Michigan Avenue for hours.

Crowds called for a cease-fire and an end to airstrikes on Gaza. Since Hamas attacked Israel on Oct. 7, close to 8,000 Palestinians have been killed, 3,000 of them children, and more than 18,000 injured, according to USPCN.

"It is unconscionable that President Biden, our two U.S. Senators Durbin and Duckworth here in Illinois, and congresspeople like Jan Schakowsky cannot bring themselves to demand that Israel stop its killing and allow aid into Gaza," said Muhammad Sankari, spokesperson for USPCN-Chicago. "They see what’s happening, understand it’s legitimately a massacre and genocide, and still don’t care."

Most recent reports estimate that 1,400 Israelis have been killed since the beginning of the Israel-Hamas War. The number of Palestinians displaced in Gaza due to the unrest is close to 1.5 million. 

Over 200 soldiers and civilians are being held hostage in Gaza and 4 hostages have been released – including a mother and daughter from Evanston