Protesters calling for a cease-fire in Gaza swarmed a Burlington fundraiser for U.S. Rep. Becca Balint (D-Vt.) on Thursday evening, chanting loudly on a sidewalk outside J Skis while she met with supporters inside.
More than 200 people marched from a rally at Burlington City Hall to the sidewalk outside the Main Street business where a "Welcome Congresswoman Balint!" sign had been set up. They were not allowed to enter; staff cited the building's capacity as the reason.
"Becca, Becca, you can't hide!" they chanted in unison from the sidewalk. "We charge you with genocide!"
On that date, Hamas militants from Gaza killed more than 1,400 people in Israel and took more than 200 as hostages in a massive surprise attack. In response, Israel's unrelenting military campaign has since killed more than 10,000 Palestinians and caused worry about a widening conflict.
Jewish Voice for Peace has been calling for Vermont’s congressional delegation to support an immediate cease-fire.
Inside the fundraiser, Balint told her supporters that she and Sens. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Peter Welch (D-Vt.) have called for a "humanitarian pause" to the hostilities "because people are dying." But a cease-fire is impractical, she said, because Hamas would not honor one.
Luke Awtry
Balint addressing people inside the event
"A cease-fire can only happen when two parties are willing to do it," she said.
But a pause, she said, would enable getting food, water and fuel to people who desperately need it.
Earlier on Thursday, the White House announced that Israel had agreed to daily, four-hour "pauses" to allow Palestinian civilians to flee.
As Balint addressed attendees, chants from outside could be heard. And a few protesters who had purchased tickets and got into the event spoke up inside, at one point reading names of Palestinians who have been killed.
On the sidewalk, meantime, protesters only got more raucous as the evening wore on. They held signs up to the plate glass windows out front, showing people inside messages such as "Ceasefire Now."
A man with a bullhorn standing near the window peered inside and reported back to his fellow protesters: "They're having hors d'oeuvres! They're having cocktails!"
"Shame! Shame! Shame!" the crowd chanted.
Luke Awtry
Protesters inside the event
In speeches earlier in the evening outside city hall, protest leaders decried U.S. aid to Israel and Israel's military campaign in Gaza.
"Now almost 11,000 Palestinians are dead, half of them children," Kathy Shapiro told the crowd. "How many more need to die? Does one war crime justify another? No, never."
Organizers said they have been frustrated because the members of Vermont's congressional delegation had declined to meet with them personally, though they've talked to congressional staffers. On Thursday night, Shapiro said, Balint agreed to meet with representatives of the group over Zoom next week.
"It's a very small step," Shapiro said later. "But we're going to make it clear that we won't stop what we're doing."
Clarification, November 14, 2023: This story was updated to note that staff of J Skis cited the building's capacity as the reason not allowing protesters inside.