Multiple Hudson Valley Community Organizations Unite Through Middletown Commemorating Nakba, Demanding End Of Genocide In Gaza
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###Press Release Reprinted in full from Rally Middletown ###
Community Organizations Unite Across the Hudson Valley to March Through Middletown, Commemorate the Nakba, and Demand an End to the Genocide in Gaza.
All photos are by Alexa B. Wilkinson
MIDDLETOWN, NY – May 18, 2025 — Today, a powerful coalition of community organizations from across the Hudson Valley and beyond gathered in Middletown, NY to mark the 77th anniversary of the Nakba and demand an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, along with a complete halt to U.S. arms transfers to Israel. Hundreds of marchers filled the streets to protest Israel’s ongoing genocide in Gaza and the U.S. government’s central role in enabling it.
The event began at Thrall Park, with about 100 people marching through downtown Middletown, including a pass by City Hall, where organizers spoke out against the mayor and city council’s refusal to issue a resolution demanding a ceasefire. Participants carried Palestinian flags, banners, and signs calling for an end to the mass killing in Gaza and justice for Palestinians everywhere.
Organizers included Rally Middletown, A Little Beacon Blog, HeartBeads4Palestine, Hudson Valley for Free Palestine, Jewish Voice for Peace Hudson Valley, Mid-Hudson Valley DSA, New Paltz Women in Black, SUNY BDS, Protect Orange County, Vets About Face, Wednesday Walk for Black Lives, CPUSA: Hudson Valley Club, Upper Delaware Actions, Framed Unrest, Party for Socialism and Liberation: Hudson Valley, and Middle East Crisis Response.
Groups representing a wide spectrum of faiths, races, and political backgrounds. The event was also co-sponsored by Palestinian-owned restaurant, Ziatün - located in Beacon, NY.
Rally Middletown, a local grassroots group committed to racial, economic, and global justice, helped lead the organizing effort. “If we are Americans, we are supposed to support the inalienable rights for all,” said April, one of the Rally Middletown march organizers. “We include not only Americans, but the people of Gaza and Palestine, and all oppressed and vulnerable populations.”
Since October 2023, Israel has carried out a campaign of mass killing and ethnic cleansing in Gaza, with tens of thousands killed, entire neighborhoods razed, and basic necessities like food, water, and medicine deliberately blocked. Meanwhile, the U.S. continues to send weapons and provide political cover, shielding Israel from international accountability.
The Nakba—Arabic for “catastrophe”—refers to the 1948 forced expulsion of over 700,000 Palestinians, and murder of about 15,000 more, by Zionist militias that would later become the Israeli army. But as today’s organizers emphasized, the Nakba is not just a historical event—it is ongoing.
What makes this moment urgent, they said, is not only the increased human rights violations and inhumane violence and starvation in Gaza, but also the rising threat of fascism in the U.S. as well. Under the newly installed Trump administration, dissent is being criminalized and immigrant, Muslim, Black, and Brown communities are under direct attack. These diverse Hudson Valley organizations recognize they are facing a common threat—and a shared struggle.
Amel, one of the locals who joined the march, holding a sign that said “Free Palestine, Save Gaza,” said “I’m here today for the freedom of Palestine, to allow food and water into Gaza, and stop this horrendous war on innocent people.”
“I want the mass extermination of babies and children to end,” said May, one of the attendees. “Stop killing innocent children. It’s not complicated.”
Another protestor said, “[We need] freedom of speech, freedom to boycott, and freedom to peaceably assemble—all rights that we used to have, until we started speaking up for Palestine and against genocide.”
A Brief History of Rally Middletown’s Push In Middletown
ALBB Editorial Note: Rally Middletown has been fighting for Middletown to pass a ceasefire resolution for months. They have been met with cruelness from their Common Council. Their Common Council called them names - even Jewish activists for Palestine. In fact, the reason for the squirrel t-shirt up above is because the Aldermen Paul Johnson of their Common Council said this about them: “The Gaza Gang are the squirrels. They are the nuisance. And I think they graduated to be classified as thugs.”
The following is an additional section to this press release from Rally Middletown:
Halfway through the action, the crowd returned to the steps of Middletown City Hall — the very place where residents first demanded the Common Council pass a ceasefire resolution. For ten consecutive meetings, community members delivered moving testimonies and exposed the devastating reality unfolding in Gaza, urging city leaders to take a moral stance and send a message to state and federal officials: we do not support U.S.-funded genocide.
In response, local advocates were met with insults, slander, dismissal, and even threats. Instead of standing with their constituents, the Middletown Common Council and Mayor Joe DeStefano repeatedly shut down their appeals. Though fully informed on the issue, they insisted it wasn’t their place to act — only to later restructure council meetings in a clear attempt to suppress public input.
“Imagine that! An entire democratic council mirroring the Trump administration by trying to silence us. We will never be silenced!” declared Amanda Krump in a powerful address on the City Hall steps.
As the crowd rallied outside, their voices echoed through the streets with chants like:
“Mayor DeStefano, you can’t hide- we’re fighting back against your lies.”
“Silence is complicity. This will be your legacy.”
“You’ll go down in history- for suppressing free speech!”
While local leaders refused to act, the message from the people was undeniable. Residents, business owners, and bystanders showed strong support — clapping, honking, and stepping out of their storefronts to cheer as the marchers passed by.
