[image description: This is a photo of several people lying on the ground outside of Northampton's city hall, performing a die-in. Many hold signs that say: "NEVER AGAIN FOR ANYONE" and "STOP BOMBING HOSPITALS" and "STOP GENOCIDE FOR GAZA" This photo is courtesy of Daily Hampshire Gazette's staff person Carol Lollis.]
NORTHAMPTON — Activists in Northampton calling for a cease-fire in Gaza have stepped up their efforts in recent days, hoping to pressure the city to quickly pass a resolution in support of their goals and to condemn recent actions by the Israeli military in the city of Rafah, near the Egyptian border.
On Friday, dozens of activists affiliated with the group Jewish Voice for Peace staged a “die-in” protest on the steps of Northampton City Hall, with people lying down across the building’s steps down to the sidewalk. Some held fabric wrapping in the shape of bodies to represent the more than 30,000 Palestinians killed since the start of the war on Oct. 7.
“I ask for every human being that has a drop of humanity in them to call for a cease-fire, to not be OK with tax money going to murder,” said Nancy Mansour, a Palestinian activist who spoke at Friday’s rally. “Murdering more people is only planting a million more seeds for resistance against this brutal occupation.”
The day before, many activists also attended, both in person and over Zoom, a City Council meeting to give public comments in support of a resolution calling for a cease-fire. A proposed resolution, sponsored by Ward 4 Councilor Jeremy Dubs, has been in the works but has yet to be introduced before the council, and was not on Thursday’s agenda.
“We are desperate because as we sit and stand here in the comfort of our warm homes and this warm, wonderful place of tolerance, there are people literally dying in the streets and malnourished,” said Peter Kakos, a pastor and longtime activist in Northampton.
Activists said they hoped the city would be able to vote on the resolution as an emergency measure, allowing it to be introduced and voted on earlier. But council President Alex Jarret told those gathered Thursday that the city's attorney, Alan Seewald, had advised it would not qualify as an emergency measure, which drew criticism from protesters.
“I believe that this inaction on this issue is unacceptable by our elected officials,” said Christine Andrews, a Florence resident who spoke at the meeting. She added that 62 members of her daughter-in-law’s family, who live in Palestinian territories, have died since the war began. “This conflict does affect people in your community.”
After more than an hour and a half of public comments, the maximum time allotted by the council, Jarrett said that there would be a special City Council meeting to introduce and vote on the resolution before its current scheduled date of March 7. But activists were unsatisfied with the delay.
“You’ve had this on your plate since we first came here in December,” said Nick Mottern, an activist with the group Demilitarize Western Mass, in response to Jarrett. “This is an emergency.”
After some additional back-and forth-arguing, the crowd broke into chants and began demonstrating in the council chambers. After a recess, the council decided to adjourn without discussing any items on that night’s agenda.
In an interview, Jarrett said he planned to hold the special meeting the week of Feb. 26 and introduce three resolutions — one being the cease-fire resolution sponsored by Dubs; a second cease-fire resolution sponsored by himself, along with Councilors Stanley Moulton, Rachel Maiore and Deborah Pastrich-Klemer; and a third resolution condemning hate speech, anti-Arab racism and antisemitism sponsored by the four councilors.
Originally, there had been plans to combine the resolutions into one, but activists supporting the cease-fire had expressed dissatisfaction with conflating the issue of antisemitism with Israel’s war in Gaza.
“The first draft was very weak. We wanted a standalone resolution,” said Mare Berger, an activist with Jewish Voice for Peace who attended both Thursday’s council meeting and Friday’s protest. “Antisemitism is an issue, but it is not an emergency.”
Molly Aronson, another Jewish Voice for Peace activist, said Friday that the calls for cease-fire are particularly pertinent given recent attacks on the southern Gaza city of Rafah. More than 1 million Palestinians living in Gaza have fled to Rafah in escaping from other parts of the strip, with the activists expressing concern they would have nowhere else to flee if Israel invades the city.
“We don’t have the words for how bad it will get,” Aronson said. “Nowhere in Gaza is safe.”
Ismail Asaad, a Palestinian activist living in Leyden, told protesters on Friday that they made a difference in helping stop the war.
“We are here because we care about each other, we are here because we feel responsibility about each other,” he said. “I don’t want you to feel disappointed and that what you do is a small thing. You do a huge thing. Anything you do, you make a difference.”
Several other cities in Massachusetts, such as Cambridge and Somerville, have already passed resolutions calling for a cease-fire, and resolutions have also been introduced in nearby Amherst and Easthampton. U.S. Rep. Jim McGovern, whose district includes Northampton, has also publicly called for a cease-fire in the conflict.
Alexander MacDougall can be reached at amacdougall@gazettenet.com.