Dozens of protests were held worldwide on Saturday and throughout the week — many of them targeting the companies profiting from and manufacturing weapons for the ongoing Israeli genocide in Gaza.
This week, a UN report confirmed that many of the targets of the worldwide Boycott-Divestment-Sanctions Movement are not only complicit in Israel’s apartheid and genocide against Palestinians, they are illegally funding it too.
The “Economy of Occupation to Economy of Genocide” Report urges “trade unions, lawyers, civil society and ordinary citizens to press for boycotts, divestments, sanctions, justice for Palestine and accountability at international and domestic levels.”
Netherlands:
In the Netherlands, the city of Papendrecht witnessed, on Saturday, a protest against the export of spare parts for the F-35 stealth multi-role fighter jets by the German company GKN Fokker to Israel. The demonstrators marched from the famous Marktplatz to the GKN Fokker factory and the headquarters of GKN Aerospace. They held up signs reading, “We are all Palestinians. Cut all ties with the apartheid state of Israel,” expressing their rejection of arms exports or any military support to Israel.
In a statement read on behalf of the protesters, they recalled that a Dutch court last year decided to halt the export of F-35 spare parts to Israel after concluding that they violated international humanitarian law in the Gaza Strip. The statement emphasized that GKN Fokker continues to export the aforementioned spare parts to Israel through indirect means, despite the Dutch court’s ruling. This makes the company complicit in the crimes committed in Gaza and contributes to the ongoing genocide perpetrated by Israel in the Gaza Strip .
Spain:
Following pressure, Basque steel company Sidenor announced it will stop selling steel to genocidal Israel. Yet, the whereabouts of its latest, & hopefully last, shipment of steel are still unknown & are likely still on their way to Israeli Military Industries (IMI).
England:
At London’s Pride Parade Saturday, a group of young activists blocked the float of US-based technology company Cisco due to its connection with the Israeli military.
The campaigners sprayed red paint on the float, then glued themselves to the road until they were arrested.
They chanted “Cisco, Cisco you can’t hide, we charge you with genocide!”, and the parade was delayed while Youth Demand held their protest.
The group called on the British Government to impose a total trade embargo on Israel and prosecute corporations who have relations with Israel for violations of international law.
It said Cisco’s technology “form the backbone of the Israeli military’s surveillance and communications infrastructure”. Reya Wood, 22, who said: “I am taking action against Cisco at London Pride to highlight the company’s complicity in genocide and how they are hiding their crimes behind a veil of pink washing. As a queer woman, this action is particularly meaningful to me. I refuse to stand aside and allow my queer identity to be exploited for commercial gain at the hands of war criminals.”
Malachi Rosenfeld, 22, said: “I’m taking action because queer liberation and Palestinian liberation go hand in hand, and we cannot have one without the other. There can be no celebration or joy when companies like Cisco are supplying technology that is helping Israel to slaughter, displace and starve queer Palestinians, their families and tens of thousands of others in Gaza. London Pride has no business accepting sponsorship from companies profiting from genocide, who pretend to care about queer people. The UK Government needs to impose a total trade embargo on Israel and prosecute Cisco for enabling genocide.”
Also in London on Saturday, 20 people were arrested in London today “on suspicion” of supporting Palestine Action. Among them was the Reverend Sue Parfitt, an 83-year-old retired Anglican priest from Bristol.
Message posted by Palestine Action, the direct action group based in Britain that has engaged in nonviolent direct action targeting weapons manufacturers, including effectively shutting down multiple manufacturing factories of Elbit Systems. This week the British government declared the organization a ‘terrorist group’, despite the fact that they have never hurt or killed anyone, and are engaging in direct action to stop an active genocide:
British Parliament member Baron Hain stated, “Palestine Action members spraying paint on military aircraft is moderate by comparison to what the suffragettes did.”
“[We are] treating young people as terrorists because they feel frustrated about the failure to stop mass killings and bombings of civilians in Gaza.”
“I’ve never supported their activity, but there’s a great difference between what they did and terrorism. And if you start labeling people willy nilly terrorists right across the board, you’re going down a very dangerous route.”
USA:
In Philadelphia this week, activists from Jewish Voice for Peace descended on the Spring Garden Street headquarters of defense contractor Day & Zimmerman on Wednesday in a bid to renew scrutiny of the weapons manufacturer’s involvement in the war in Gaza.
Philadelphia police officers detained dozens of protesters who held a sit-in in the building’s lobby. JVP communications director Sonya Meyerson-Knox said 100 demonstrators filed onto the sidewalks and dividers around Day & Zimmerman, with more than 50 protesters entering the lobby.
On Saturday, marches and sit-ins took place in San Francisco, California; Chicago, Illinois; and Manhattan, New York. Organizers called for an immediate arms embargo on Israel and an end to military aid used to bomb hospitals and refugee camps.
Sweden:
Hundreds of people held a protest in the Swedish capital, Stockholm, on Saturday, demanding an end to the genocide committed by Israel, the occupying power, against the Palestinians .
Hundreds of demonstrators gathered at Odenplan Square in central Stockholm, at the call of a large number of civil society organizations, demanding an immediate end to the war crimes committed by Israel in Gaza.
The demonstrators carried Palestinian flags, pictures of children killed during the war, and banners reading, “Stop the genocide committed by Israel in Palestine . ”
France:
Thousands of demonstrators took to the streets of the French capital, Paris, on Saturday in a march under the slogan “Stop the genocide in Gaza,” in response to calls from pro-Palestine associations.
Protesters gathered in the famous Place de la République on Saturday, carrying Palestinian flags on their shoulders and hands, and then marched to Place de la Bastille .
Participants in the march chanted slogans demanding an end to the “genocide” being committed by Israel, the occupying power, in the Gaza Strip .
A number of people were seen wearing accessories and bags bearing the “watermelon” logo, which has become a symbol of solidarity with Palestine .
Participants also protested the Israeli occupation army’s targeting of Palestinian journalists in Gaza, called for a boycott of brands that support Israel , and demanded the lifting of the Israeli blockade to allow humanitarian aid into the Strip .
One protester hung a sign on his chest reading, “I dream of seeing Palestine free one day . ” Another carried a small red-covered doll and a shroud, a reference to the child victims in Gaza .
Protester arrested and brutalized in Paris holding a Palestinian flag:
Germany:
Several German cities, including the capital Berlin, Bremen and Wuppertal, witnessed mass demonstrations on Saturday, denouncing the aggression against our people in Gaza, with the participation of hundreds of members of the Palestinian community, Arab and Islamic communities, and German and European solidarity activists .
Participants raised Palestinian flags and slogans condemning Israeli crimes against our people, calling for an end to the genocide in the Gaza Strip, the entry of humanitarian and relief aid to all parts of the Strip, and the lifting of the siege.
In Berlin, Near the British Embassy, there was a solidarity rally with Palestine Action. The Berlin police arrested the speakers. The accusation: A small, triangular watermelon sticker 🍉 on a bag was deemed a Hamas🔻.
Portugal:
Hundreds of Portuguese people participated in a march in support of the Palestinian cause in the capital, Lisbon, on Saturday.
Participants called for an end to the genocide perpetrated by Israel, the occupying power, against the Palestinians, and for official recognition by the Portuguese government of the State of Palestine.
The march was organized at the invitation of civil society institutions and organizations, including the Portuguese Council for Peace and Cooperation, the Movement for the Defense of the Rights of the Palestinian People for Peace in the Middle East, the General Confederation of Portuguese Workers, and the Noise Project .
Portuguese cities are witnessing daily demonstrations in solidarity with the Palestinian people, supported by individuals, civil society organizations, and various political parties across Portugal. In this context, the city of Faro in southern Portugal hosted a massive march yesterday, Friday, while another march was also held in the northern city of Porto.
