The group Alexandria for Palestinian Human Rights isn’t going to stop disrupting political events any time soon.
You might’ve noticed members of the growing group disrupting all manner of political events in the city since the war between Israel and Hamas erupted in October 2023. In addition to asking Alexandria to approve a ceasefire resolution, the group wants the city to divest itself from Israel and boycott companies it says are profiting from the conflict.
Protestors interrupted Gov. Glenn Youngkin‘s speech at the opening of the Virginia Tech Innovation Campus earlier this year, an event for Sen. Tim Kaine’s (D-VA) reelection, and protested “dangerous bills” in the Virginia General Assembly in Old Town, as well as shut down a City Council meeting.
Alison O’Connell co-founded the group after Alexandria showed solidarity with Israel by lighting City Hall at Market Square (301 King Street) in blue and white — the colors of the Israeli flag — three days after Hamas launched a surprise attack, killing 1,200 people and taking more than 200 hostages. Since that time, an ongoing “desperate humanitarian crisis” has resulted for the region, with more than 450,000 people facing starvation and the deaths of more than 50,000 people, according to British Red Cross.
“We came together because actually the mayor of Alexandria made a public statement that said that he supported Israel, and he lit up city hall in blue and white,” O’Connell said. “That took into context none of what had preceded Oct. 7, the 75 years of occupation that led up through Oct. 7, the fact that it had been the deadliest year for Palestinian children, 2023, prior to Oct. 7, or in the days following, the hundreds and then thousands of deaths of the population of Gaza.”
ALXnow recently interviewed several organizers from the group, including O’Connell, to discuss their work. None of the participants in the interview are Palestinian, and some have been arrested for disrupting Congress on multiple occasions as part of other advocacy groups. Decisions on how and where to protest are made by a steering committee of up to 12 members, which makes decisions based on committee votes.
O’Connell said that the group, which protests throughout the region, now has upward of 400 members. They want localities to pass resolutions calling for a ceasefire in the conflict, like the one approved in Richmond, California, in October 2023. More than 100 cities and towns across the country have passed similar resolutions, including San Francisco, Seattle, Chicago, and Detroit.
“I think to some people, they were like, this is very illogical,” O’Connell said. “What is the point? It’s a city. But the idea was that the executive branch isn’t listening to us. If we have a groundswell of grassroots movements across the country, and it all happens at once, and there’s pressure, there’s an opportunity to make a change.”
Last year, The Washington Post asked City Council candidates running in the November election whether the city should approve such a resolution, with now-Mayor Alyia Gaskins against it, along with now-Vice Mayor Sarah Bagley and Council Member Kirk McPike. A majority of Council Members who were elected — Canek Aguirre, John Taylor Chapman, Abdel Elnoubi, and Jacinta Greene — all said they were in favor of a ceasefire resolution.
“I’m still where I was when I answered that survey,” Elnoubi told ALXnow. “I support one. What we are witnessing in Gaza is a horrific humanitarian catastrophe funded by our tax dollars. The deliberate targeting and starving of civilians, including children, are war crimes. (Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin) Netanyahu is a war criminal and must be held accountable under international law.”
Organizer Salma Jahani, who works full-time as a data analyst in Alexandria, was arrested at the U.S. Capitol.
“We are comprised of a collective of just a variety of different people from different backgrounds, which is something that I love about Alexandria,” Jahani said. “We have the flexibility to be able to come in and out depending on our lifestyles, because everybody has different priorities… and it’s grounded on love. It’s grounded on acceptance and grounded on diversity and humanity.”
By day, organizer Sana Siddiq is the regional director for the grassroots group Muslims For Just Futures.
“The level of dehumanization that Muslim communities face because of this level of Islamophobia in this country is really disgusting,” Siddiq said. “That’s the reason we are currently witnessing a famine and genocide, and literally nothing is happening.”
Last year, Amanda Eisenhour interrupted the Alexandria Democratic Committee mayoral debate between Gaskins and then-Vice Mayor Amy Jackson.
“We do not see this as just a conflict,” Eisenhour said. “There is one occupying power and committing genocide and apartheid against a people.”
Alexandria for Palestinian Human Rights posts updates on their Instagram page and website.
“What’s been really remarkable about this organization is it’s the definition of grassroots,” Eisenhour said. “There is no leader, there is no official chair or office. We have some folks who make up a steering committee, who meet a little more frequently than everybody else, but for the most part, we make decisions as a collective and bring members together.”
