A pro-Israel demonstration was held in downtown Nashville on Sunday following a pro-Palestine rally that took place the day before.
Photos from Sunday’s rally show many women carrying empty baby carriages and pushing empty strollers symbolizing the Israeli children still being held hostage by the terrorist group Hamas, which launched an attack on Israel October 7 that left around 1,200 people dead.
#BringThemHome #BringThemBackHomeNow #StandWithIsrael
Standing with Israel in downtown Nashville! pic.twitter.com/LcVBMIy5rZ
— Tennessee Faith & Freedom Coalition (@TNFaithFreedom) November 12, 2023
Additional photos from the demonstration show protesters holding signs showing the information about children kidnapped by Hamas as well as a large sign draped over a railing with information about additional children hostages.
This was a somber march down Broadway in downtown Nashville with a few hundred American Jews, Israelis, and Christians who prayed for hostages to be released.
It is worth noting that there are still Americans trapped in Gaza as well.
Only two passersby were observed to be in… https://t.co/RJnSpX1TXq
— Tennessee Faith & Freedom Coalition (@TNFaithFreedom) November 13, 2023
“Pray for Israel, pray for peace,” text on the banner read.
The rally drew a crowd of approximately 300-500 people, many of which were carrying red balloons and wearing shirts with the hashtag “#BringThemHomeNow.”
The hashtag is a part of the Hostage and Missing Families Forum’s campaign advocating for the safe return of all citizens who have been taken hostage by Hamas.
The Hostage and Missing Families Forum was formed less than 24 hours after Hamas’ attack on Israel that took place more than one month ago. The Forum is volunteer-based and focused on “bringing the hostages back home to their families, to us.”
The Forum specifically “offers families holistic support and professional assistance and advances the ongoing efforts through all channels, locally, regionally and globally, to bring the hostages and the missing back home to their loved ones.”
Hamas is estimated to be currently holding more than 240 adults and 30 children hostage.
One day prior to the pro-Israel demonstration, the Middle Tennessee Chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) held a fifth-straight pro-Palestine rally at Centennial Park in Nashville calling for a ceasefire between Israeli forces and Hamas terrorists.
Middle Tennessee DSA’s rally on Saturday drew a combined crowd of more than 1,000 as protesters marched along the West End and eventually gathered at the steps of the Parthenon, chanting anti-Israel phrases including, “1234, occupation no more; 5678 Israel is a terror state.”
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Kaitlin Housler is a reporter at The Tennessee Star and The Star News Network. Follow Kaitlin on X / Twitter.
I support Israel. When was the last time Jews hijacked a plane? All that tightened security you see at airports isn’t because of the Jews!