Palestinian solidarity demonstration draws 2,000 people in Geneva
Some 2,200 people took to the streets in Geneva Saturday to show solidarity with the Palestinian people and to denounce Swiss policy in the Middle East. The demonstration had been called by the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions movement.
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“The demonstration was held peacefully and there were no particular problems,” a Geneva cantonal police spokeswoman told Swiss news agency Keystone-SDA.
The demonstrators accused the federal government of “shameful complicity” with Israel and called for “immediate and severe sanctions” against Israel, deploring the suspension of Bern’s financial support to UNRWA, the UN agency for Palestinian refugees.
+ Read more about the allegations against UNRWA in Gaza
Organisers of the event recalled that almost a year ago the International Court of Justice (ICJ) recognised the plausibility of the crime of genocide committed by the Israeli state against the people of the Gaza Strip.
Recognition required
Last November, they added, the ICC issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benyamin Netanyahu and his former defense minister, Yoav Gallant.
The protesters deplored the fact that, despite these pressures, Israel continues its “genocidal war” against the Palestinians and continues its attacks against neighboring countries, a policy they said Israel could not pursue “without the complicity of its allies,” namely the United States, Britain, France, Germany “and Switzerland.”
The pro-Palestinian activists called on Bern to change its approach to the Middle East by ceasing its support for the Israeli state. According to them, the government should also resume and increase funding to UNRWA and immediately recognize the state of Palestine, following the example of Spain, Ireland and Norway.
Translated from Italian by DeepL/ds
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