ST. LOUIS — A group behind a pro-Palestine demonstration that delayed the Grand Pride Parade in downtown St. Louis is continuing to speak out against Pride STL's ties with Boeing.
St. Louis police arrested 19 protesters Sunday, ranging from 21 years old to 36 years old. Those protesters are now out of jail.
Several protesters held a press conference Monday afternoon outside the St. Louis City Justice Center as they awaited official charges from the demonstration, continuing to call out Pride STL's ties with Boeing amid the war in Gaza.
Nearly two dozen pro-Palestine protesters took over the 44th annual Grand Pride Parade shortly after it started. They entered the parade route denouncing genocide, connected themselves with chains and metal pipes, and blocked the participants from walking down Market Street.
Director of Diversity and Inclusion for Pride STL Jordan Braxton said they spoke with protesters before the parade.
"They were given the opportunity to march down the parade route before the parade started and get their message out and even hand out literature. But I guess they didn't opt for that option," Braxton said.
The protesters were asking Pride STL not to accept funding from Boeing, which was the title sponsor of the parade. Reporting from the New York Times and others links Boeing to bombs used by Israel in Palestine.
"We've been working to get Boeing out of Pride," protestor Sarah Nixon said. "We've been working to get these other corporate sponsors that are pillaging the planet and pillaging our people here out of this celebration of queer liberation, and they refuse those calls. So we took direct action."
Braxton responded, saying, "Boeing is a sponsor, yes. But the sponsorships that we get from people keep our festival free. We are the largest last free festival in our region. So, if we start denying or refusing sponsorship from companies that our community doesn't like, we will have to start charging. We keep our festival free so that everybody can come."
Braxton said she asked police to treat the protesters respectfully and remove them from the street.
"Everyone's voice is important, and everyone should be heard. We are a little disappointed that those actions happened yesterday. But we understand. You know, Pride started out as a protest. But we've evolved to so much more than that now," she said.
Officers asked the protesters to leave several times, but when they didn't, they were arrested.
"We chose the Pride parade as the venue of protests because Pride STL chose money over the lives of Palestinian people. They chose Boeing, an arms manufacturer, to represent the queer community. Boeing sends weapons overseas to be used in the genocide of Palestinian people," said protestor Fen Hackfeld.
The parade carried on after the arrests.
"They started cheering when the parade started back up. So that shows you how people were wanting and anticipating and wanting to celebrate Pride. Not one participant left the parade. The crowd stayed; we were still 15-20 people deep, even after the hour delay. It goes to show how resilient our community is," Braxton said.
Police have asked prosecutors to file charges for trespassing and resisting arrest.
"We're just looking forward to continuing to escalate for Palestine. We won't stop until we're free," Nixon said.
The pro-Palestine group said they'll continue protesting throughout the summer.
"We will continue to make our voices heard, get used to it, we're not going anywhere. The fight continues," said protestor Inez Bordeaux.
Braxton says Pride STL is already in contact with the group of protesters and plans to meet soon to see how they can move forward in a way that benefits everyone involved.
5 On Your Side has contacted Boeing for a response but has not heard back yet.