Islamic group criticizes Jackson Township reaction to planned peace rally this weekend
JACKSON — Activists calling for a cease-fire in the latest Israel-Hamas War are planning a rally and march in the township this weekend.
The rally and march is planned for 4 p.m. Sunday, May 19, at 240-246 East Commodore Boulevard. It had previously been planned for the township's public works building on Don Connor Boulevard.
A flyer for the event suggests it is sponsored by numerous grassroots organizations, including Monmouth and Ocean County for Palestine and IfNotNow Central Jersey, an American Jewish organization pushing to end U.S. support of Israel.
"It's time to mobilize," one Instagram user posted. "We need to stand together and SAVE PALESTINE. Join us for this INTERFAITH rally and march. Let's show NJ we stand with humanity and HANDS OFF RAFAH NOW!"
"They don't want you to know how your voice is so important," the post reads.
Individual organizers of the event haven't identified themselves.
Mayor Michael Reina on Friday said he'd only recently been made aware of the event and encouraged organizers to "go through the process" of coordinating with the township.
"We're not trying to take away anybody's First Amendment rights, but you can't hold any type of protest - even a peaceful protest - in a government building," Reina said.
Township police officers will be on site to ensure protesters are "where they want to be, and we're not dealing with traffic or any other problems that could come along," Jackson Township Public Safety Director Joseph Candido said.
The department has come under fire in recent days after Jackson Police Capt. John Giovanetti visited the home of a woman Candido said was involved in organizing the event. The goal of the visit was to "reach out to the organizers so we're all on the same page and we run a safe event," Candido said.
According to the website FightBackBetter, which covers issues of Palestinian support in New Jersey, Giovanetti also told the woman that county law enforcement officers were investigating and said insurance and permits would be required for an event, suggesting it be held at a park instead.
The Council on American-Islamic Relations also confirmed the police visit and criticized Reina and police officers for a "hostile reaction to a planned pro-Palestinian peaceful protest."
“We condemn Jackson Township’s hostile stance toward free speech and assembly," CAIR New Jersey Executive Director Selaedin Maksut said in a statement. "The mayor’s hostile reaction to a peaceful pro-Palestine rally by alerting several agencies and dispatching the counterterrorism officer demonstrates a potential anti-Muslim or anti-Palestinian bias.”
Reina denied that he had any role in directing a police investigation of the event.
And while Giovanetti serves as the Jackson Police Department's municipal counterterrorism coordinator, which involves working with Six Flags Great Adventure, his role in investigating the Palestine rally was solely as a patrol captain, Candido said.
Jackson Township is home to a substantial Orthodox Jewish population, with community leaders estimating that nearly 3,000 Orthodox families live in the town.
Many municipalities in northern Ocean County have seen rising Orthodox Jewish communities in recent years as families move out of Lakewood, home of one of the largest Orthodox enclaves in the world and the largest yeshiva in the country.
The township spent much of the last decade embroiled in litigation with the U.S. Department of Justice, New Jersey Attorney General's Office and an Orthodox Jewish advocacy group over ordinances and land use decisions that plaintiffs alleged targeted the town's Orthodox Jewish community.
The township council agreed to more than $5 million in damages, fines and penalties and sweeping changes to land use code as part of settlement agreements.
Mike Davis has spent the last decade covering New Jersey local news, marijuana legalization, transportation and basically whatever else is going on at any given moment. Contact him at mdavis@gannettnj.com or @byMikeDavis on Twitter.
This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: Pro-Palestinian peace rally scheduled for Sunday in Jackson
