On Saturday, January 6th, residents of Seattle, WA, USA took to the streets in a pro-Palestine protest.
The demonstration was organized by the Seattle chapter of Samidoun, an organization that advocates for the liberation of Palestinian prisoners. Communication was primarily on their instagram, calling all protestors to meet at the Starbucks Reserve Roastery at 12pm, which is when the protest began.
Starbucks has been under criticism and calls for boycott since suing their union for making Pro-Palestine posts on X. Throughout the duration of Saturday’s protest there was still graffiti on the Starbucks’ store that amplified this criticism of the company. (Figure 1)
Figure 1: Graffiti on Starbucks Reserve Roastery
While this graffiti may be from a previous incident, Pro-Palestinian protesters remain critical of the company and chose their store in Capitol Hill as a meeting location.
There were still opposing points on the initial meeting location of the protest. For example, one instagram user stated that the protest should be at the Starbucks headquarters instead of the Roastery.
Another user took the stance that news coverage is important to the cause. They stated that McDonalds or Zara would have also been good protest locations as those companies have expressed pro-israel sentiments, while understanding the counterargument that Starbucks is a symbol of Seattle and protesting in such a symbolic location would garner the much needed news coverage.
Surely enough, the local news station did cover the protest while making it clear that the protestors were demanding a ceasefire in gaza. Protestors’ signs and chants echoed the full list of the demands, which were also previously cross-posted on other supporting organizations such as the Seattle chapter of Jewish Voice for Peace (JVP), and Students United for Palestinian Equality and Return (SUPER) at the University of Washington.
The full list of demands are as follows:
“Immediate ceasefire and end to the siege on Gaza
End to the occupation of Palestine
Stop all U.S aid to Israel
Free all Palestinian prisoners
Land back”
The march moved from the Roastery towards I-5, with a group of protestors using olive way to march onto the freeway. The rest of the crowd, the protestors who did not head onto the freeway, flooded the overpasses on Melrose Ave and Denny way.(Figure 2) The organizers and protestors agree that the point of disruptive action such as road closures was to make a point that the citizens will not go about “business as usual” under genocide.
Figure 2: Melrose Ave
Protestors on Melrose Ave at 4:11pm
The protestors’ chants included but were not limited to:
“Biden, Biden, you can’t hide,
We charge you with genocide
Biden, Biden, you will see
Palestine will be free”
“From the river to the sea
Palestine will be free
From the sea to the river
Palestine will live forever”
“In millions, and billions
We’re all Palestinians,”
And many other chants echoing their support for Palestine and their condemnation for Israel’s violence and America’s funding for it.
Seattle Police Department issued a dispersal order at around 3:40pm. Many of SPD’s followers called for arrests, and even forceful measures to do so. At 4:45 the protestors complied with the order and joined the rest of the crowd. At 5pm promptly, the protest organizer stated that the drivers had abandoned their cars, and the event died down.
Other residents of the city support the cause even if they weren’t able to attend.
“A public transit worker showed great solidarity this morning, I almost missed the bus and he stopped for me and said ‘yeah, I figured you were going to the protest,’” states a local engineer in attendance who chose to remain anonymous. “The most patriotic thing you can do is use your first amendment!” she continued.
Samidoun Seattle confirmed that no arrests were made, while Kiro 7 News stated that that could change as the police are still investigating this incident.
Although this protest may have been an inconvenience to some, it was a benefit to others as the crowds supported local businesses, especially after the protest dispersed. (Figure 3)
Figure 3: Yalla
People lining up for food at Yalla, a local Middle Eastern restaurant.
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