Hundreds in pro-Palestine group march at ABQ Uptown

More than 300 pro-Palestine protesters gathered at ABQ Uptown on Friday, hours after President Joe Biden expressed continued support for Israel during a news conference on the release of hostages that had been held by Hamas.

The rally, organized by the Party for Socialism and Liberation, was the eighth in Albuquerque since Hamas' Oct. 7 attack on Israel ignited the war. Israel and Hamas have agreed to a four-day cease-fire that started Friday morning. Hamas released 24 hostages, and Israel released 39 Palestinian prisoners. Israel has said it may extend the cease-fire if more hostages are released.

Demonstrators carried signs reading "Resistance Is Not Terrorism!" "End The Occupation Now!" and "Viva, Viva, Palestina!" They marched along the streets of the shopping center with Palestinian flags that fluttered in the cold wind. Some drivers honked in support, giving thumbs-up and fist pumps.

Biden hailed the initial hostage release from Gaza as he spoke to reporters in Nantucket, Massachusetts, where he was spending the Thanksgiving holiday with his family.

However, Dean Shelton, a member of the organizing group protesting at ABQ Uptown, said the president's remarks disappointed him.

"Our government is funneling billions of dollars into genocide in Palestine and slaughtering women, children, and everyone by supporting Israel," Shelton said.

One shopper approached Shelton, expressing his frustration that some stores had closed for the hours during the protest. Shelton said the group chose to rally on Black Friday, not to call for a boycott — "to boycott business would be to punish workers" — but to raise awareness with the large shopping crowds.

He urged that people turn their attention to the war in Gaza instead, where he said "all the rules of war are being thrown out the window and ignored by Israel."

"You can't just slaughter civilians because you say you're trying to get to your enemy," Shelton said. "That is a crime under international law."

Another Party for Socialism and Liberation member Cynthia Rodriguez said of the cease-fire, "A pause is just a pause. We want an absolute cease-fire, an end to the siege in Gaza, and an end to the occupation in Palestine. That's the only real resolution that there is."

She said the protests were less about boycotts and more about disruption.

The war in Gaza has hit home for Farah Alqawasmi, a medical student at the University of New Mexico and member of Healthcare Workers for Palestine.

"My father lived through a war there," she said, pausing as a driver passed by honking and cheering. "We are here asking for peace, for everyone in that area."

Alqawasmi echoed calls for an absolute cease-fire, saying that it is the only way to bring peace.

Palestinian protester Sandra Akkad agreed with calls to withhold U.S. aid from Israel, saying, "My tax dollars are going towards killing my own people." She spoke of people she knows in Gaza and the West Bank who have been "annihilated" by Israeli airstrikes.

"The term 'humanitarian pause' in itself means that what's out of it is inhumane," she said, "and that's what the world needs to recognize."

Akkad said she was also left unsatisfied by the president's remarks.

"When I saw President Biden's remarks today, basically trying to boast about the humanitarian pause in Gaza, I wanted to say to him, 'I recognize the humanity in Israelis. I want you to recognize the humanity in Palestinians,'" Akkad said.