On Sunday night, about 40 people gathered outside of city hall in Oxford, Mississippi, near the town’s famed statue of William Faulkner, in front of a Palestinian flag that read “Free Palestine”. As more attendees arrived, organizers gave them electric tea candles and flowers to hold during the vigil, held for the estimated 42,000 Palestinians who have been killed since 7 October 2023. The event, organized by UMiss for Palestine, a student activist group at the University of Mississippi, marked a striking departure from its previous solidarity demonstration in May, which drew hundreds of counter-protesters, many of who spewed racist vitriol at the students.
Sunday’s event was reverent, with solemn expressions of grief and remembrance befitting a funeral. According to organizers, those who gathered did so to “honor the martyrs, commit to fight for the living, and stand in solidarity with Palestinians in [their] community and in the rest of the world”.
