Tampa demands justice for Rasmea Odeh
Tampa, FL – A small but passionate group of about 12 people gathered on the steps of the Sam Gibbons Federal Courthouse building here, March 12, to stand in solidarity with the Palestinian American leader Rasmea Odeh. The action coincided with the Detroit sentencing of Odeh on trumped-up immigration charges.
The protesters brought signs reading, “Free Rasmea now” and “No jail time for Rasmea.” They held the signs at passing cars and chanted “Free free Palestine, viva viva Palestina.” The group was comprised of student and community members, some of who have already faced political repression locally.
Gage Lacharite spoke on behalf of Students for a Democratic Society, stating “Rasmea has been catapulted into a symbol of Palestinian resistance in the belly of the beast!”
Groups present included Raices en Tampa, the Committee to Stop FBI Repression, Students for Justice in Palestine, and others. Rahma Elmohd, of Students for Justice in Palestine, spoke with great conviction about Israel’s ethnic cleansing of over 750,000 Palestinians and the need to stand up for justice in the Rasmea Odeh case.
Speaking on the importance of solidarity Elmohd said, “We stood with Rasmea when she asked us and others to support her.”