Free Palestine KC (FPKC)
Free Palestine KC (FPKC) is an anti-Israel group based in Kansas City. 1 In January 2025, it cooperated with several other left-of-center groups to protest President Donald Trump’s second inauguration. 2
Contents
Background
Free Palestine KC claims to be an “ally-led” group dedicated to “the joint struggle of Palestinian liberation in Palestine and decolonization in Kansas City.” 3 The group supports ending “the occupation” and “siege” of the claimed state of Palestine, and a “return to historic Palestine for all Palestinians and their descendants.” 4
Unlike all other refugees, the 1951 Refugee Convention does not apply to Palestinians. 5 Any descendant of a male Palestinian refugee, including adopted children, can register for assistance from the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA). 6
FPKC defines “historic Palestine” as the entirety of Mandatory Palestine established as a British protectorate, including the internationally recognized territory of the State of Israel. 4
The group contends that self-determination is a “collective right” of Palestinians, which includes the ability for “a people to choose their political status” and to pursue economic opportunities. The group also supports a “Right of Return,” claiming that Palestinians were “ethnically cleansed from their homeland.” 4
Demands
Free Palestine KC demands a withdrawal of all “occupying forces” from what it considers “Palestinian territory,” the “dismantling of all Israeli colonies,” including Jerusalem, reparations for displaced Palestinians, the release of Palestinian “prisoners and detainees,” and the recognition of a Palestinian state. 4
Events
About 50 people from Free Palestine KC and other groups, including the Trans Protection Party, Healthcare Workers for Palestine, Jewish Voice for Peace KC, and the Democratic Socialists of America KC protested the second inauguration of President Donald Trump in January 2025. 7
The group held a “Nakba Day Rally/Eyes on Rafah March” on May 18, 2024 at Country Club Plaza in Kansas City, Missouri. 1 Participants with signs protested Israel and the war that began with Hamas’s October 7, 2023 massacre of Israelis. 1 Almost 600 people joined the march to attempt to gain support from city leaders against Israel. 2
In February 2024, the group teamed up with Al-Hadaf KC for an “emergency demonstration” in Kansas City’s Plaza District. 8
FPKC lists several other groups as “resources”—Al Hadaf KC, Healthcare Workers for Palestine – KC, The Sameer Project, the Palestinian American Medical Association, and Palestine Children’s Relief Fund. 9