The sickness is unbelievable --As thousands gathered in Pioneer Courthouse Square for the Oregon city’s 41st annual tree-lighting on Friday night, leaders and speakers avoided mentioning “Christmas” at any point — including in the ceremony itself and the event’s ads. The festive occasion was kicked off with a woman from the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs thanking everyone in the crowd for coming out on Native American Heritage Day. She introduced two younger members of the tribe, who referred to the celebration only as “the tree lighting,” before handing the microphone to another featured speaker. Draped in a Palestinian flag, the woman used her stage time to lead the crowd in a “Free Palestine” chant. “This is the perfect time to bring this up. There are a lot of genocides going on,” she said only moments into the tree-lighting ceremony. “Can I get a ‘Free, free Palestine,'” she asked, and some members of the crowd were heard obliging. She then led the crowd in the “Strong Woman Song,” performing alongside two young children and another woman, noting that it “felt appropriate since we’re representing our matriarchs up here.” - 
