In the heart of Detroit, amid the hum of a convention center packed with thousands of activists, the second annual People's Conference for Palestine unfolded over the last weekend of August 2025. From August 29 to 31, Huntington Place became a "hub for impassioned discussions" on Palestinian rights, global solidarity, and the urgent call to end what organizers describe as Israel's ongoing "genocide" in the Gaza Strip.
With the slogan "Gaza is the Compass," the event drew participants from across North America and beyond, blending Israel-hating speeches, cultural performances, and strategic workshops aimed at building a stronger movement against "occupation" and "imperialism".
The conference opened on Friday afternoon, August 29. Attendees, many waving Palestinian flags and wearing keffiyehs, filled the halls for plenary sessions like "Keynote: Gaza is the Center of the World" and "The Struggle Continues: The Fight for Palestine in North America." Cultural highlights included the Baladi Dance Group. Organizers from groups such as the Palestinian Youth Movement emphasized the event's role in uniting diverse voices, from labor unions to student activists, to challenge U.S. complicity in Israel's actions.
"Prominent" figures took the stage, including Palestinian-American activist Huwaida Arraf, a longtime advocate and co-founder of the International Solidarity Movement. In her address, Arraf spoke of "globalizing the Intifada," framing it as an international uprising against oppression. She referenced historical movements, from Palestinian intifadas to Marxist revolutions and the Arab Spring, urging attendees to force governments to heed calls for justice. "We have and we will continue to globalize the Intifada," she declared, emphasizing a world that rejects the unacceptable (not to mention that globalizing the initifada is a crime against humanity.)
Her words resonated with the crowd but quickly sparked online backlash, with critics interpreting them as endorsements of violence rather than nonviolent resistance.
