Lansing for Palestine origins

Lansing for Palestine is a community based organization started in October, 2023 in response to Israel’s escalation of its long, illegal siege on the Gaza Strip, widely recognized as genocide against the Palestinian people. Seeking to join other municipalities in urging the Biden administration to call for a ceasefire and an end to US military support for this genocide, Lansing community members worked to draft a resolution to bring before the Lansing City Council. After months of public comment urging Council to pass this resolution, a modified version of the resolution was passed unanimously on February 12th, 2024.

While the resolution City Council chose to pass was far from what the Lansing community spent months advocating for, it was a first step in what we hope will be a longer and more meaningful organizing effort to end Lansing complicity in Israel’s ongoing genocide. Understanding that this will require a permanent, long term space for Lansing based Palestine solidarity, we formed Lansing for Palestine.

Centering the voices of Palestinians is critical to meaningful solidarity, so we centered our organizing around the broadest call from Palestinian civil society organizations to boycott, divest from and sanction the state of Israel until it complies with international law.

(From left) City Council members Tamera Carter, Trini Lopez Pehlivanoglu and Brian Jackson listen to public comment on a proposed Gaza ceasefire resolution
Photo: Tyler Schneider/City Pulse
Source: https://www.lansingcitypulse.com/stories/gaza-ceasefire-resolution-advances-to-full-lansing-city-council,85833

Protesters in front of Lansing State Capitol in Lansing, Michigan rallying for a ceasefire and freedom for Palestine.
Photo: Peter Fowler