WORCESTER – A multi-faith group of residents rallied outside the office of Rep. Jim McGovern on Shrewsbury Street over the weekend in protest of what they call his lack of action on the war in Gaza.
The group, which included Christians, Jews and Muslims, displayed signs alongside a digital billboard truck rented by local activists. They say they plan to target the offices of Massachusetts legislators who have yet to sign onto a Congressional resolution calling for a ceasefire.
“We want him to use his leadership now to push all of his colleagues in the state to demand a permanent cease-fire,” said activist Claire Schaeffer-Duffy.
The digital ads call for a ceasefire in the current conflict in the Gaza Strip. One slide displayed a photo of Palestinian children walking through rubble. The text reads: “Can’t afford healthcare? Sorry, your tax dollars are being used to bomb Palestinian children.” Another urged people to stand up against growing incidents of anti-Semitism and Islamophobia in the United States.
Another activist, Mehlaqa Samdani, said “It is important to make the public aware of the catastrophic humanitarian situation in Gaza so as not to have taxpayer dollars contribute to the carnage.”
On Thursday, Gaza’s Ministry of Health reported that at least 179 people were killed and 303 wounded in Israeli attacks over the past day, bringing the death toll in Gaza since the war began on October 7 to 18,787 with 50,897 injured.
McGovern first called for a cease-fire on Oct. 17, but has yet to sign onto the congressional resolution. He condemned Hamas’ attack on Oct. 6 as “vicious, a “terrorist attack,” and a violation of international law. McGovern issued a joint statement with Pramila Jayapal (WA-07), Greg Casar (TX-35), Barbara Lee (CA-12), Joaquin Castro (TX-20), Veronica Escobar (TX-16), and Jesús G. “Chuy” García (IL-04) on the same day. That statement said that “Hamas can and must be stopped and the security of Israel must be guaranteed without the killing of thousands more Palestinian and Israeli civilians.
Besides McGovern’s Office, the truck also made stops outside the offices of Rep. Richard Neal, Rep. Jake Auchincloss, Rep. Stephen Lynch and Senator Ed Markey.
