Over 100 people gathered at Textron’s headquarters in downtown Providence on Tuesday evening to protest Israeli forces’ recent attacks in Gaza. Earlier that day, a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas broke down as Israel launched a series of aerial strikes targeting the Gaza Strip.
The protest was organized by a coalition of activist groups from Brown, the Rhode Island School of Design and greater Rhode Island. The demonstration included speeches from members of the Party of Socialism and Liberation, Brown Divest Coalition and others.
Tuesday’s protest aimed to “draw campus and local attention to the attacks on Gaza and mobilize our communities to continue fighting for Palestinian liberation,” according to a statement from BDC.
Amid “Trump’s racist prosecutions against Palestinians and Arabs in the U.S., we are expressing our outrage and solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza, the West Bank and people of the diaspora,” the statement reads.
The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
In a speech to the gathered protestors, an activist who only identified themselves by their first name, Reem, condemned Israel’s alleged violation of the ceasefire agreement and called for continued support for Palestinians.
Reem also criticized the Trump administration’s new efforts to deport immigrants.
“They’re not using the due process of law anymore. They’re not using the equal protection of the law. They have gone rogue,” Reem said. “And if you think you will not get affected by it, you are all mistaken.”
Maya Lehrer MA’23, a PSL organizer, noted that “the only way for us to seriously combat this political targeting is by standing together and by organizing.”
Protest organizers demanded “the release and return of political targets who have been targeted because of their participation in the Palestine movement,” a U.S. arms embargo on Israel and an end to the “bombardment of Gaza” and “the Israeli occupation,” Lehrer said.
Throughout the rally, Lehrer and others referenced recent developments regarding Assistant Professor of Medicine Rasha Alawieh, who was deported after returning from Lebanon when U.S. Customs and Border Patrol agents allegedly found “sympathetic photos and videos” of Hezbollah figures on her cell phone.
Demonstrators also referenced Mahmoud Khalil, a former Columbia student and prominent pro-Palestinian organizer on the school’s New York campus. Khalil, a U.S. permanent resident, is currently being detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Protesters carried signs reading “Justice for Rasha Alawieh!” and “Release Mahmoud Khalil! Hands off our students!”
Several attendees called on the University to take further action with regard to Alawieh.
“It’s clearly for Islamophobic, anti-Arab and anti-Palestinian reasons that she was deported,” said Alicia Joo ’26, who attended the rally. “Brown still has yet to comment on her situation explicitly, to name her or the reasons that she was deported.”
The University did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
On Monday, University Spokesperson Brian Clark said “we continue to seek to learn more about what has happened.”
The protest began outside of Textron’s headquarters before protesters marched down Westminster Street and into Kennedy Plaza. Textron is a company involved in defense manufacturing.
“I think it’s important now more than ever to be standing up in the face of fear and protecting each other,” said Etta Robb ’26, who attended the rally. “It’s good to be in a community of other angry people.”
Maya Kelly is a metro editor from Providence who covers community, crime and activism as well as business and development. A concentrator in urban studies and data fluency, she is passionate about intersecting storytelling with data analysis. When Maya's not at The Herald, you can find her hanging from an aerial silk, bullet journaling or in the middle of a forest.
