Thousands of people have once again taken to the streets in several cities across the country called by the Solidarity Network Against the Occupation of Palestine (RESCOP). Minutes before 6:00 p.m., hundreds of Palestinian flags dyed the surroundings of Atocha, where the demonstration in Madrid started. The conveners have taken advantage of this first anniversary since the start of the massacre by Israel on October 7, 2023 to demand an immediate and permanent ceasefire when more than 41,500 people have been killed in Gaza since then.
To achieve this, they have demanded that the Government chaired by Pedro Sánchez put an end to the trade in weapons and military and security technology with Israel, in addition to holding it accountable “for its crimes against humanity,” they have defended from RESCOP. “The Government buys material from Israel that has been tested in combat, that is, by massacring Palestinians. With our money they are financing the genocide,” denounced Hania Faydi, a member of the Boycott, Divestment and Blockade of Israel (BDS) in Madrid, an organization that is part of RESCOP, minutes after the start of the march.
The Network has also called for breaking diplomatic, institutional, economic, sporting and cultural relations with Israel, as well as “ending the persecution and criminalization of solidarity with Palestine and repealing the Gag Law.” As Faydi explained, “this time we also came out in solidarity with the Lebanese people. In just one week, Israel has killed 1,500 people in Lebanon,” he explained while chants such as “Palestine will win, from the river to the sea” and “Israel murders, Europe sponsors” continued to be repeated in the march.
From his point of view, the fact that the Spanish State has recognized Palestine is “a big step because it makes Israel uncomfortable, but it is not enough.” “This has nothing to do with ending the genocide, dismantling apartheid on the Palestinian population and for the more than six million refugees to have the right to return,” he added.
Likewise, this spokesperson has stressed that “the level of normalization that has been reached is worrying”, since “a discourse has been bought in which Israel is a friendly country, a democracy in the Middle East, when it is impossible for a democracy to exist on a genocide and a system of occupation and domination.”
The mobilizations have not only been in Madrid, but throughout the Spanish territory throughout the weekend. Demonstrations are also taking place in other cities around the world, from New Zealand to Europe: in Rome, London or Berlin, but also in Cape Town (South Africa), Sydney (Australia) or Bangkok (Thailand).
Source: www.eldiario.es
