MSNBC: Thousands Gathering in D.C. for March for Gaza Rally

RUSH TRANSCRIPT:
PHANG: “Gathering in Washington D.C. at this hour for the March for Gaza rally, marking 100 days since the Israel-Hamas war began. The rallies organized by the American Muslim task force for Palestine and by other groups who are calling for a cease-fire in Gaza and the halting of U.S. aid to Israel. Joining me now is NBC News channel correspondent Brie Jackson, who is live for us from freedom plaza in Washington, D.C.. Brie, that is a lot of people. Tell us what’s going on. I think they’re supposed to be some speakers as well today.”

Jackson: “Good afternoon, Katie. So crowds are really starting to gather here. We’ve been out here for the last hour and just seeing the crowd continue to grow. We are told that a couple of thousand people, up to 25,000 people are what the organizers here are expecting. People coming from all across the country. We’ve talked to people from Michigan, from New York, and from other places, and they say that their message is clear. They want the Biden Administration to stop funding and supporting Israel when it comes to this conflict, and they’re also calling for a cease-fire. Speakers are expected to take the stage around one pm eastern time. Some of the speakers that are going beyond the stage or people who have lost loved ones in this war. We spoke with a couple of people already, and these are just really emotional stories that they are telling. One man that he spoke with says that he has lost nearly 100 family members in the Gaza Strip during this conflict, and he gave an emotional plea just asking the Biden Administration to take action and calling for that cease-fire. Now people that I spoke with also say that they want to put a spotlight on what is happening not just in Gaza, but in other parts in particular they are saying that they are in the West Bank. They want to highlight some of the actions that they are saying that Israel is taking, and another thing to note is that they are trying to get this message out any way that they can. Not just here on the stage, but they’re also having some TikTok influencers come out to share the message there on social media. So they say that they want to get out their message, demanding a cease-fire as we near the 100 day mark of this war. And also to note that this is also part of – organizers say it’s an honor of Martin Luther King holiday that’s coming up and that they want to stand up and speak about injustices. Katie?”