A coalition of Georgia activists will hold an “interfaith march” Tuesday to protest President Trump’s decision to move the U.S. embassy to Jerusalem and the recent killing of Palestinians by Israeli forces.
Organizers have named the event "Emergency Protest: Stop the Massacre in Gaza." It will begin at 7 p.m. at Centennial Olympic Park.
The protest comes one day after 58 Palestinians were killed and another 2,700 injured by Israeli gunfire on Monday. The bloodshed has marked May 14 as the deadliest day in Gaza since the 2014 war.
READ | Palestinians bury dead after bloodiest Gaza day since 2014
The event has been organized and sponsored by Jewish Voices for Peace-Atlanta, Black Lives Matter-Atlanta, the Georgia chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR Georgia) and 10 other local groups.
Edward Mitchell, executive director of CAIR Georgia, says the protest will remain peaceful, and no counter protests are expected.
Sponsors and protesters will also call for an end to the Georgia Law Enforcement Exchange Program, which sends Georgia police overseas to receive training from foreign governments, including Israel.
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Multiple activists are scheduled to speak during the event, including Dr. Ilise Cohen of Jewish Voices for Peace-Atlanta and Rev. Fahed Abu-Akel, a Palestinian Christian and the first Arab-American to be elected to lead the Presbyterian Church USA.
President Trump’s decision to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel has sparked previous protests in Atlanta, including last year’s “Atlanta In Solidarity with Palestine” event which bought together more than 700 Georgia activists in July.
Mitchell predicts today’s protest will also garner hundreds of protesters.
An Atlanta Journal-Constitution reporter and photographer will be covering the protest Tuesday evening.
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