Jeanna Duerscherl | The Roanoke Times

Autumn Taylor of Blacksburg organized a protest against violence in the Middle East. The protestors gathered near the New River Valley Mall in Christiansburg.

Sanabil Issa, 5, and her mother, Nadira Issa, attended Wednesday's protest of Israel's attacks on Gaza.

CHRISTIANSBURG, Va. -- A small group braved bitter winds, temperatures in the 30s and snow flurries Wednesday afternoon to speak their minds on recent violence in the Middle East.

"Stop the killing, stop the war!" they yelled periodically, among other chants. They held signs with messages such as "Free Palestine" and "Humanity is Universal."

The purpose of the protest was to raise awareness of the conflict while pushing for a peaceful resolution.

"On both sides, innocent lives are being affected by this. Nobody is stepping in with a neutral opinion on the situation," said Autumn Taylor of Blacksburg, organizer of the protest.

Taylor said she got the idea from her husband on Sunday, when they both realized that not enough was being done on the issue.

She said that the protest was the least they could do, because it is not safe enough to even think about helping directly.

The result was a group of about 30 people bundled up, standing along the sidewalk in front of the Olive Garden and Panera Bread restaurants in Christiansburg.

Taylor said the group originally wanted to set up in Blacksburg. They decided, however, that the proximity to the New River Valley Mall made the sidewalk an ideal spot because of heavy traffic from shoppers.

"Hopefully, people will be out shopping, out having fun and feeling safe and relaxing and enjoying the holidays," so that they can appreciate how fortunate they are, while citizens in Gaza "huddle in bathrooms hoping not to get injured."

Taylor reached out to different student organizations and peace coalitions in the area via e-mail to rally their support.

Overall, Taylor said that she was satisfied with the turnout. The group protested for two hours, and she estimated that a total of 50 people showed up at some point during the protest.

Amine Chigani, a graduate teaching fellow and officer in the Muslim Students Association at Virginia Tech, said he is outraged by the attacks happening in Gaza.

"Our blind support to the Israeli government and the military aid has a direct impact on civilian people and I think that's wrong," he said.

Chigani said he has written to members of Congress to express his feelings and is glad that the protest has afforded him another opportunity to speak his mind.

"When I see injustice, cruelty and massacre on a large scale, I have to do something about it," Chigani said.

Originally from Morocco, Chigani said that human rights is one of the most important ideals he has learned since becoming an American citizen. He feels that Americans from all backgrounds should do anything they can to help because innocent lives are at stake.

"Israel, like any country, has the right to defend itself, but we need to put that statement in context," he said. "Defending yourself doesn't mean killing civilians by the thousands."

Taylor said she realizes that a protest in a small town such as Christiansburg is a small step, but feels that it is more worthwhile than sitting at home complaining about the situation.

"We want to put it out there that there are people that are actually caring about the situation and want something to happen," she said.