A pro-Palestinian protest took place on Sunday, May 16 in Chicago, Illinois commemorating Nakba Day.

Nakba Day (Catastrophe Day) is an annual commemoration of what Palestinians term the “Catastrophe” and is held on the date after Israel declared its independence in 1948.

The rally, which was organized by the Coalition for Justice in Palestine, attracted around a thousand participants according to local media and organizers announced on Facebook before the rally, “We will NOT be silent as our place in the US is CRITICAL in ending the occupation of our land. It is critical because OUR tax dollars are funding it.”

Protesters marched through the city, many holding signs, including some that read “Jesus is Palestinian” and “My hobbies include boycotting the illegal existence of Israel.”

The rally in Chicago was one of many to have taken place throughout the US to mark Nakba Day. It has been claimed as many as 100,000 people took part in rallies in major cities throughout the country including New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Seattle.

Several rallies have already been held over the past few weeks in Chicago.

Protests have taken place for several week as a response to Israel’s latest battle of self-defense against the Hamas terror group who launched thousands of missiles at Israel from the Gaza Strip.

The latest IDF operation, entitled ‘Guardian of the Walls’, lasted for about two weeks until the two sides finally agreed to an Egyptian-brokered ceasefire.

More pro-Palestinian protests are expected throughout America despite the ceasefire which many Hamas sympathizers see as a victory for their cause and antisemitic incidents have also seen an increase in the past few weeks around the country.