Along East Diamond and Russell Avenues in Gaithersburg, local dance groups, churches, council members, high school marching bands, costumed characters and fire engines marched in the city’s 87th Annual Labor Day Parade on Sept. 1.
What was supposed to be a fun and welcoming city-sponsored event suddenly became upsetting for some when a group holding signs saying, “No Maryland $$ for Genocide, DroptheMiDC.org,” “End U.S. aid to Israel” and “stop arming Israel with our taxes” appeared in the procession. Participants also wore shirts that said, “Self-loving Jew against Zionism” and “Free Palestine” while holding Palestinian flags.
“JCRC was appalled, as were [some] members of our community, to hear that a group hostile to Israel used a family-oriented Labor Day parade in Gaithersburg to express their views,” said a spokesperson from the Jewish Community Relations Council of Greater Washington in a statement to Washington Jewish Week. “We have reached out to city officials and will be working with them to figure out a solution to this issue.”
The group, Peace Action Montgomery, marched in between groups representing Goshen United Methodist Church and a candidate running for Montgomery County Council. Peace Action Montgomery is part of the national organization Peace Action, which supports campaigns such as “Gaza Ceasefire Now.”
The organization also has campaigns such as “Trump Watch: Defending Peace From Threats By Trump” and nuclear disarmament.
According to Peace Action’s website, it is the largest grassroots peace network in the nation.
Under the organization’s website’s “Who We Are” page, Peace Action states, “We organize our network to place pressure on Congress and the administration through write-in campaigns, internet actions, grassroots lobbying and direct action.”
Under the organization’s cease-fire campaign, the website states, “The ongoing state of apartheid — supported economically, politically, and militarily by the United States — has been and remains unacceptable, and an impressive movement in the U.S. and globally to act in solidarity with the Palestinians has grown over the last few decades.”
The organization states that Oct. 7 represented “shocking, horrific attacks by Hamas on Israel,” which “sparked a paroxysm of astonishing violence by Israel against not only Hamas but the people of Gaza, with tens of thousands killed in a matter of months, mainly women and children.”
The Gaithersburg Department of Parks, Recreation and Culture received feedback from a community member who attended the parade, allegedly stating that the group was not clearly labeled.
“The atmosphere was very happy and celebratory, just as you usually see at a holiday parade,” the parade attendee told Washington Jewish Week. “There were kids from school marching bands, cheerleaders, dancers, local officials and candidates shaking hands, traditional cultural representations, including a dancing Chinese dragon and a Mexican dance troupe. It was a joyous, colorful occasion. Then, [Peace Action Montgomery] came in at the end of the parade. Their first sign said, ‘No Maryland $$ [dollars] for Genocide,’ and I couldn’t believe my eyes.”
Senior leadership within the Gaithersburg City Council met to discuss the concerns and determined that the group did not violate any established guidelines. However, the City Attorney’s Office is reviewing the event’s participation policies to address clear signage procedures.
At the time of the parade, participants were required to register with the city in advance of the Labor Day Parade and are included in the lineup posted publicly on the city’s website.
“Much to my disappointment, they seemed to have some support. Some people were even cheering them on,” the attendee added. “But afterwards, the atmosphere had a chilled effect, like they had to process what they just saw.”
The Gaithersburg City Council did not respond to a request for comment.
What does anyone expect with JCRC’s totally flaccid inept performance?