As the sun in Gaza is four hours away from its rise, the sun in Lansdale is just beginning to rest. And while Gaza will awake to a war with Israel, over six thousand miles away, Lansdale will see a slice of it on the corner at Railroad Plaza as the day comes to a close. 

Commuters stepping off of the train from Philadelphia curiously observe the posterboards and photographs of mutilated citizens in Gaza, people on their drive home from work roll down their windows and honk, and teenagers fly past on bikes while shouting profanities at the pair of protesters who stand alongside their banners and Palestinian flags adorning the plaza. 

“Silence is complicity,” Naz, one of the protesters, said. Her message to Lansdale is loud and clear.

This is not the first time that Montgomery County for Palestine, a local organization centered around “fighting for the liberation of Palestine,” as their website explains, has made themselves known to Lansdale; the heart of town has been host to several other protests, and motivation towards the organization’s cause has been around since December of 2023.

“I came from a Philly protest, and I sat down. It was right before Christmas Eve, and I saw Santa’s firetruck going by, and I was just like, ‘kids in Gaza are not celebrating Christmas this year.’ Another side of the world is getting bombed, and then here, we’re just celebrating Christmas while the birthplace of Jesus is being bombed,” Naz, who helped to found the organization, explained. That moment of awareness of two completely different realities fueled her to take action.

“Our goal is to raise awareness and let people know what’s going on in Gaza. [Palestinians] are dying. It’s been going on since 1948, and even before then. Now, we’re trying to amplify it more, because the population over there is decreasing every day. They’re starving, and they’re still getting killed.”

Aside from drawing attention to their message and shedding light on Palestinian genocide through protest, Montgomery County for Palestine also makes it easy to get involved by providing a multitude of resources for those interested in learning more or furthering their involvement in support of Palestine. Their website gives links to news sources, reading material, documentaries, podcasts, local resources, and fundraisers.

“If you’re curious, the information is out there, and there are people that will help you and support you. There are plenty of ways to get involved and make a difference as a kid, even if you can’t vote. Have that confidence to get out there and do it, and you will be supported,” said the other protester present from Montgomery County for Palestine, who asked to remain anonymous. 

“You can be emailing [politicians] or calling them. Go to their office, and don’t speak to the staffers, actually talk to them. Ask them questions because that’s our right. They were elected to help us out in our community and serve for us,” Naz added.

Over their time of protest, the group has been met with both enthusiastic responses and negative backlash. Both protesters asked to remain anonymous, noting their experiences of being harassed, assaulted, and doxxed. Regardless of the reactions, they continue to voice what they believe Montgomery County should hear from thousands of miles away.

“We do get good positives. People come and actually talk to us, and tell us we’re doing a great thing, but there’s also negative feedback. People call us terrorists, but as you see, look at what the other side is doing. Who’s acting and doing the terrorism work? We get cursed out. They get physical too, but we just keep on moving. We keep on pushing. Our goal is to fight for the silent voice,” Naz said. 

In their mission to fight for the silent voice, Montgomery for Palestine has rallied others to speak up, which includes both gaining volunteers for their organization and inspiring others to start their own. 

“We want our town to know that silence is complicity. We want them to be aware that you can help us with sharing information, calling your politicians out, and donating to organizations that are sending money out for aid,” Naz explained.

“We have made a lot of people uncomfortable. We have accomplished a lot of people joining us. People are being more aware, and I think that’s a great thing. People are trying to find creative ways to do things. We’ve got a lot of volunteers and quite a few interesting people who are helping, going into other places, and creating social events,” Naz continued. “I’m trying to get families involved and kids involved. It’s like 20 of us; we’re small, but mighty.”