A small group gathered outside Pratt & Whitney Stadium at Rentschler Field on Saturday afternoon for a Gaza peace vigil ahead of the University of Connecticut football game against Florida International University.
About a dozen people stood near the East Gate entrance holding flags and signs while distributing pamphlets to fans arriving for the 3:30 p.m. kickoff. Organizers said the event aimed to raise awareness about civilian suffering in Gaza and to call for an immediate cease-fire.
“We wanted to meet new people who might be watching what’s on the news and give them something that allows them to think more and maybe get involved,” said Dan Piper, a member of Labor for Palestine and one of the event’s organizers.
Piper said similar vigils have been held in recent weeks, often attracting small groups across Connecticut.
Participants included members of the Connecticut Palestine Alliance, the Connecticut Green Party and the Connecticut Civil Liberties Defense Committee.
Organizers said the timing and location were chosen for visibility.
“We’re here to be as public and as visible as possible,” said Omar Scott Antar, co-founder of the Connecticut Palestine Alliance.
He added that the group also selected the site because the stadium’s naming rights are held by Raytheon Technologies, a defense contractor that he said symbolizes the U.S. weapons industry.
Several attendees noted that the vigil was part of ongoing demonstrations on campuses and in public spaces, following student encampments nationwide last year.
“Students are some of the most important players in this conversation,” Antar said. “They’ve shown how organizing can start the discussion and inspire others.”
Kay McAuliffe, a member of the Connecticut Civil Liberties Defense Committee, said the purpose was to encourage open conversation.
“It’s nice to talk to people who might not otherwise be discussing what’s going on in Palestine,” McAuliffe said.
Printed handouts from participating groups included statements by Healthcare Workers for Palestine-Connecticut, definitions of genocide from the United Nations convention and a sheet outlining the historical and religious significance of the Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem. Another leaflet from Labor for Palestine called for international worker solidarity and urged U.S. unions to oppose the transfer of weapons to Israel.
Jennifer Peck, secretary of the Connecticut Green Party, said the vigil was meant to promote awareness rather than confrontation.
“This venue is symbolic in a couple of ways,” Peck said, citing both UConn’s investment ties with Israel and the stadium’s defense-industry sponsor. “People from all walks of life are here today. It’s an opportunity to show that this isn’t something we should forget.”
No counter-protesters were visible during the event, and police maintained a presence near the entrance to the stadium. The vigil concluded shortly before kickoff.
Protesting Pratt will not bring this awful war any closer to an end. There is a ceasefire deal on the table, and if these protestors were interested in actual peace and not performative anti-zionism, their voices would have been used to beg Hamas to sign it. Unfortunately the dream of Hamas eliminating the “Zionist entity” is too compelling to abandon.
Tell Hamas to return the hostages they’ve held for over a year. And then disband and stop raping and killing innocent men ,women and children. No care for hundreds of dead Jews???? Typical Democrat