#ProPalestinian activists rally outside #PortlandME courthouse to support fellow #protesters

Morgan Womack, Portland Press Herald, Maine
Thu, July 10, 2025

Jul. 10—"A group of pro-Palestinian demonstrators gathered outside the #CumberlandCountyCourthouse on Thursday morning ahead of a court hearing for their peers who were arrested at a protest in May.

"More than a dozen people rallied with signs and a #PalestinianFlag as 10 people — half of the group that was previously arrested — awaited their arraignments. During their hearings, they each pleaded not guilty to one count of #obstructing a public way. The rest of the group will appear in court at a later date, the protesters said.

"Jamila Levasseur, 70, of #WaldoME, was one of the 20 people arrested in Portland on May 21 after police accused them of blocking the intersection of Commercial and Pearl streets near the U.S. Custom House. She said at the time that she'd be arrested as many times as necessary to bring attention to the widespread #starvation and ongoing #Israeli airstrikes in #Gaza.

"When appearing at the stand, Levasseur told District Court Judge Jed French that she was 'protesting against #genocide in #Gaza' before entering her not-guilty plea. She referenced Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin #Netanyahu's recent talks with President Donald #Trump, recognizing their joint strikes on #Iran and discussing plans for a 60-day #ceasefire that would halt Israel's war against Hamas in Gaza.

" 'Those are the #WarCriminals,' Levasseur said. 'We're not criminals.'

"Levasseur said she couldn't have anticipated that the war would still be going on 21 months after it began. She said she's thankful that a group of attorneys stepped forward to represent the protesters for free, and that the May demonstration in the Old Port attracted a new, larger crowd of supporters.

" 'More and more people are waking up, learning what's going on, horrified, and want to do something,' Levasseur said. 'The people we were arrested with, I didn't even know them all when we were arrested. ... It's not the usual suspects. It's just more ordinary people.'

"Levasseur and #AbigailFuller, 65, of Portland, were also arrested at a February 2024 protest on Franklin Street for obstructing a public way. Their charges in those cases have since been dropped.

"Fuller, who is also a lecturer at the University of Southern Maine, said she felt supported by the group of people outside the courthouse while walking into her arraignment. She pleaded not guilty and also told the judge she was protesting genocide when she was arrested.

" 'It feels good to be starting the process,' Fuller said. 'The Maine courts system takes a really long time, often, to get through, but this is the first step.'

"Fuller said she appreciates seeing new faces at protests, especially as airstrikes and shootings in the #GazaStrip continue, killing people attempting to receive #HumanitarianAid.

" 'Unfortunately, Palestinian deaths are not on the front pages of the newspaper anymore,' Fuller said. 'So, we're trying to keep that in the public eye.' "

https://www.yahoo.com/news/pro-palestinian-activists-rally-outside-224800107.html