Demonstrators with pro-Palestinian messages interrupt Memorial Day event in Sacramento
SACRAMENTO – Demonstrators with pro-Palestinian messages interrupted a Memorial Day event at Sacramento's Memorial Auditorium on Monday.
The event was being held outside of the auditorium and was set to feature a flag ceremony and speakers.
Exactly when the protesters interrupted is unclear, but Sacramento police sent out an alert a little before 11 a.m. that demonstrators were now blocking J Street at 15th Street, right by the Memorial Auditorium.
As seen in video taken at the event, the demonstrators were carrying signs and shouting pro-Palestinian messages.
The original Memorial Day event was scheduled to go from 10 a.m. to noon. People who attended the ceremony say the protesters chanted throughout the event.
Several Sacramento area leaders were at the Memorial Day event, including Mayor Darrell Steinberg and Councilmember Katie Valenzuela.
Steinberg later released a statement regarding the incident.
"Freedom of speech does not mean shouting over others and preventing them from exercising their right to speak. This is one of the great challenges and problems in our modern culture. Those who died to protect our freedoms would expect that with freedom comes the responsibility to care for others, to respect the rule of law, to learn how to fight for what we believe in with respect and civility, and to never take for granted the sacrifices made by so many," Steinberg wrote.
A group of protesters marched into Midtown Sacramento, away from the auditorium, then turned back and walked all the way to the California State Capitol.
Sacramento police were warning residents to be aware of rolling road closures due to the march.