Two days after a demonstration disrupted N.C. 147 in Durham, several hundred individuals gathered peacefully in downtown Durham’s central plaza on Saturday morning, advocating for a ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas conflict. From 10 a.m. to around noon, Palestinian flags and protest signs were raised, accompanied by various chants.
“… Let me be clear– those calling for a “ceasefire” are sympathizing with Hamas when we should all be standing firmly with Israel for the duration of their response to the unprovoked attack by Hamas on October 7th. …We cannot condone lawlessness that impedes the daily lives of our citizens.”, said Tim Moore.
On Thursday, Nov. 2, 2023, protestors blocked two lanes of traffic on the Durham Freeway causing hours of disruption until they dispersed. No arrests were made related to this incident, according to NC House Speaker Tim Moore in a recent press release. He strongly condemned these pro-Hamas protests and expressed disapproval of this disruption during peak rush hour while stressing his support for Israel after an unprovoked attack by Hamas on Oct. 7th. Moore criticized the City of Durham and Cooper administration for allowing such obstruction on state highway impacting citizens’ daily lives.
In contrast to this eventful Thursday protest causing closure of N.C. 147 in Durham; on Saturday morning following it, several hundred individuals gathered peacefully at downtown Durham’s central plaza according to The News and Observer report . Participants raised Palestinian flags and protest signs from around 10 a.m., engaging in various chants including “Ceasefire is our demand, no more bombs on stolen land.” Despite having no arrests even in such significant gathering this peaceful rally saw criticism from top Republican lawmakers too just like its preceding disruptive counterpart held during rush hour traffic.
Tim Moore was first elected to General Assembly back in 2002 as per details from his website which also states that he is currently serving his eleventh term in North Carolina House of Representatives and is on his fifth term as the presiding officer. As the longest-serving House Speaker in North Carolina history, he represents Cleveland and Rutherford Counties. Moore, a resident of Kings Mountain, graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill with B.A. in Political Science in 1992 before pursuing law at the Oklahoma City University School of Law where he obtained his Juris Doctor degree in 1995.
