As the world marked one year since Hamas attacked Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, organizers with the Colorado Palestine Coalition hosted a protest in downtown Denver. Activists billed the event as a mass walk out and called for ending U.S. aid to Israel.
“A day when a group of indigenous people rose up against their violent and unchecked oppressors,” a leader with the Colorado Palestine Coalition, who did not want to give CPR News her full name, said while addressing the crowd.
About 100 demonstrators, including students who walked out of classes at Denver’s Auraria Campus, gathered outside Union Station at the Wynkoop and 17th intersection Monday demanding action from local universities and the Biden-Harris administration, before marching towards Coors Field.
“In specific terms, a group of Palestinians chose to fight back against Israel,” she told the crowd, referring to Hamas. “The blame for any and all violence that day falls on those who supported, allowed, enabled and directly funded Israel.”
Hamas is officially recognized as a terrorist organization by the U.S. State Department. Protesters who spoke with CPR News at the rally did not want to give their full names or go on the record.
The Oct. 7 attack one year ago killed an estimated 1,200 people in Israel and resulted in the capture of roughly 250 more. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has since ordered the Israeli military to invade Gaza and southern parts of Lebanon. The United Nations estimates that more than 41,000 Palestinians have been killed over the last year with another 96,000 injured.
The war has led to global protests and demonstrations. Forty pro-Palestinian protestors were arrested last spring at the Auraria campus, which is shared by Metropolitan State University of Denver, University of Colorado Denver and Community College of Denver.
Vigils and services were also held Monday to commemorate and honor those who died or were kidnapped on Oct. 7, including in Denver and Boulder.
“Since October 7, we’ve seen antisemitism as well as Islamophobia rear its ugly head across the world. In Colorado, we stand strong against antisemitism and Islamophobia,” said Gov. Jared Polis in a statement. “Hate and violence have no home in Colorado. Not today, not one year ago, not ever.”
