Politicians, actors, members of platforms and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and anonymous citizens participated today in Lisbon in a march to demand the liberation of Palestine and the end of the genocide.
The march, organized by the Collective for the Liberation of Palestine with the slogan “End the genocide. Free Palestine, now!”, brought together thousands of people who walked the streets of Lisbon between the Praça do Município and the Assembly of the Republic .
To the sound of drums and clapping, the thousands of protesters made themselves heard shouting various slogans, the most heard being “Free Palestine, free” and “Free Palestine today and always.”
With Palestinian flags and the traditional scarves of this territory – kufiya -, the protesters also displayed signs that read: “Free and independent Palestine”, “peace in the Middle East”, “ceasefire” and “end of aggression”.
With a poster he had made that said “one holocaust does not justify another”, António Ferreira, very excited, told Lusa that “it is inconceivable that people do nothing and see a genocide live.”
“It is completely inconceivable that in the 21st century we are witnessing the murder of children, women, and young people. It is something incredible,” he said, noting that he participated in the march to show “repudiation and rebellion against this criminal situation.” “.
For her part, Sandra Machado, from the Unitary Platform of Solidarity with Palestine, told Lusa that peace can only be achieved when there is “a free Palestine and when this occupation by the State of Israel ends.”
“Our call is not only for an immediate ceasefire, which is essential, but also for an end to this occupation,” he stressed, considering that it becomes “very difficult when there is an international community that is not making enough efforts to boycott Israel.” “. “.
Sandra Machado also stated that the international community should say “enough with Israel, a State that is occupying territory and committing genocide.”
To journalists, BE coordinator Mariana Mortágua said that participating in the demonstration “means support and solidarity with the Israeli victims of this massacre in Gaza” and also the call “for an immediate ceasefire.”
“Gaza is currently the largest children’s cemetery in the world. There are 12,000 dead at the moment, 68% are children, women, young people, journalists, UN representatives and hospitals are being bombed,” said Mariana Mortágua, considering that ” a policy of genocide and destruction of Israel.”
Regarding the role of the Portuguese Government, the leader of the Left Bloc stressed that the institutions must “pressure for this massacre” to end.
“Israel must be forced, it must be forced to stop a massacre, to stop the deaths and it must be forced by the same means that the international community used to stop apartheid in South Africa. The same means and the same force that Portugal used. stop the occupation of Timor at a time when there was a call for peace and an end to the Indonesian occupation,” he said.
In this sense, he called on the Portuguese Government and the Portuguese institutions to force “Israel to stop this massacre, boycotting imports from the settlements, intervening in Portuguese diplomacy, recognizing the right of Palestine to have an independent State, something that the Portuguese Government has not done”. I have not done it yet.”
PCP deputy Bruno Dias also called for Portugal to recognize Palestine’s right to have an independent state.
Bruno Dias, who is also a member of the Portugal-Palestine Parliamentary Friendship Group, added that the PCP has been “seeking to give voice, strength” and solidarity to the Palestinian people.
The deputy highlighted the importance of initiatives like today’s where “so many people have raised their voices in solidarity against this massacre and the war crimes that are being committed” against the people of Palestine.
“It is very important that we can converge and unite wills and forces on this path of solidarity with the people of Palestine,” he stated.
Source: TSF
