Durham council meeting comes to a halt as protesters call for cease-fire in Israel-Hamas war

A large group of protesters brought a Durham City Council meeting to a standstill Monday night for about 15 minutes, calling for a cease-fire in the Israel-Hamas war.

“We breathe together. We breathe together. We breathe together. Stop the occupation,” they sang, many holding red roses in the air to symbolize lives lost in the war in Gaza.

The protest began at 7:45 p.m. during a public hearing on an unrelated zoning case. At least 150 people entered into the chambers before the building was cleared and locked.

Rania Masri stood in the front holding a small body wrapped in the Palestinian flag.

“In the Muslim faith, the martyrs are wrapped in a cloth, not put in a coffin,” she said outside, tears coming to her eyes. “For me, it feels like I’m living during the Holocaust and hearing people justify that it’s okay.”

The gathering occasionally grew tense with a small contingent of Israeli supporters, who held Israeli flags and anti-Hamas signs.

A dozen police officers stood between the protesters and the city council.

“The majority of Durham believes in cease-fire and wants an end to the genocide that’s being enacted with our tax dollars,” activist Manju Rajendran said afterward.

Mayor Leonardo Williams called several times for order in the chamber and banged his gavel.

Like other municipal bodies in North Carolina and around the country, the Durham City Council has been pressured for months to pass a resolution supporting a cease-fire.

Williams told The N&O afterward that he asked police not to intervene.

“You’ve just got to let people be heard. No matter how intense the situation, we always have to respect each other and create space for each other,” he said.

“I’m not upset about the pain people are trying to express,” Williams continued. “And it’s on both sides.”

The protesters began exiting the council chambers at 8 p.m., chanting “Free Palestine” and “Cease-fire Now.”

A resolution will be considered Thursday

The present conflict, which began when Hamas militants attacked Israel on Oct. 7, has grown into the deadliest of the five Gaza wars. The Health Ministry in Gaza reports more than 27,000 are reported dead, most of them civilians, according to the Associated Press.

Williams said he has been conferring with community members about the best language to use in a possible referendum.

At the start of the meeting, newly appointed council member Chelsea Cook requested the council add a cease-fire resolution to the agenda for Thursday’s 1 p.m. work session, where public comment is typically allowed.

“No need for a motion. We got you,” Williams replied.

Masri said it’s important for elected officials to “say something” about the war.

“It’s important for them to say something when a crime of this magnitude happens,” Masri said. “They’re being starved to death, literally starved to death. They’re being bombed out. There’s no safe place. If you see a map of Gaza, it’s filled with red dots to symbolize every bomb and it just looks like the whole area’s bleeding. And Gaza is smaller than Raleigh.”

After the chamber cleared of protesters, Williams attempted to continue the rezoning hearing to next month. The vote to do so failed by a 3-3 vote, with Mayor Pro Tem Mark-Anthony Middleton absent.

Williams apologized to Nil Ghosh, the attorney for the developer, who was seeking permission to build 282 townhomes in southeast Durham.

Ghosh returned to the podium to continue the hearing and acknowledged he needed a moment to collect himself.

”I’m both shaken and moved by what just occurred, an incredible display of our healthy democracy, and hopefully that can continue,” he said. “Sorry, I’m just trying to gather my thoughts.”

Williams told him to take the time he needed.

The rezoning later failed 3-3.

This story was originally published February 5, 2024 at 8:11 PM.

Mary Helen Moore

The News & Observer

Mary Helen Moore covers Durham for The News & Observer. She grew up in Eastern North Carolina and attended UNC-Chapel Hill before spending several years working in newspapers in Florida. Outside of work, you might find her reading, fishing, baking, or going on walks (mainly to look at plants).