‘She would want everything, including her killing, to be about Palestinians’; Vigil held for UW grad

SEATTLE — Hundreds of people joined together Wednesday to honor the life of 26-year-old activist Aysenur Ezgi Eygi.

Witnesses say she was shot and killed by Israeli soldiers while protesting against settlements in the West Bank on September 6.

Loved ones and strangers gathered Wednesday at Alki Beach to share memories of Eygi and hold a vigil in her memory. Eygi grew up in West Seattle and had just graduated from the University of Washington, friends and family say.

“I remember the article,” said Eygi’s close friend Marium Khan. “The headline said that, ‘American activist killed in the West Bank.’ I felt my heart drop, and I thought, ‘No.’”

Khan spent time with Eygi before her trip overseas.

“The portion of her trip to Palestine was so immensely important to her. She was somebody that stood for justice and peace and liberation and freedom for everybody,” said Khan.

Khan said Eygi had been heavily involved with protests against the war on campus, and had traveled across the world in support of various other movements for peace.

She said Alki Beach held a special place in Eygi’s heart.

“We came here and did a bonfire a couple of weeks before she left, and she was pointing out her old school and where she used to live,” Khan said. “This is a special place to her with special people, so I hope that we’re able to honor her memory.”

Still, Khan said Eygi would have wanted people to focus on the cause over her killing.

“I know that she would want everything, including her killing, to be about Palestinians and about why she went there,” Khan said. “And not just the fact that she’s not here with us anymore.”

Friends shared memories at her vigil Wednesday. Many said Eygi was a “ray of sunshine” and had a way of “making you feel like you were the only person in the room.”

The Israeli military has said Eygi was likely shot “indirectly and unintentionally” by its soldiers. The message was condemned by U.S. policy leaders, as well as Eygi’s family, who have pushed for an independent investigation.

Many on Wednesday spoke of Eygi as a martyr for a cause she cared deeply about.

“All of us here have a duty to honor Aysenur’s martyrdom by uniting in the struggle,” said one friend.

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