After President Donald Trump ordered National Guard troops to the Los Angeles protests last week, local activists held a rally Tuesday night in Gainesville.
The event, organized by the Party for Socialism and Liberation, took place at Depot Park and was described as an "emergency ICE protest." An estimated 50 to 65 people attended, many holding signs with messages such as "ICE is better crushed," "the wrong ICE is melting" and "stop deporting our families."
Protesters wore symbols representing various countries, including Venezuela, Nicaragua, Mexico and Palestine. The crowd chanted slogans like "power to the people, no one is illegal" and "no peace, no justice."
Quentin Cooper, one of the event organizers, said the protest was about showing unity and resistance.
“We're not gonna be silent. We're not gonna sit back,” Cooper said. “We are here to resist, show unity, show solidarity with all the people, in L.A. as well as like all immigrants and, you know, against like all of like aggression by our government to the people within the U.S.”
Organizers and attendees said they aimed to show support for the Los Angeles protests and immigrant communities across the country, while making a difference at the local level.