Palestine turns Passeig de Gràcia black with a mass protest

BarcelonaSolidarity with Palestine spilled over into the center of Barcelona this Saturday at noon in the largest demonstration organized so far in the Catalan capital against the genocide in Gaza. A black tide—the organization requested that Palestinians wear that color as a sign of mourning—crowned by a multitude of Palestinian flags, which the Guardia Urbana estimated at 70,000 people, and the organizers have raised to 300,000. Beyond the usual whirlwind of numbers, the success of the demonstration, which more than 600 organizations joined, is a resounding demonstration of support for the demand that institutions boycott and isolate Israel.

Even before the agreed-upon time of 12 noon, the Jardinets de Gràcia were a veritable human hive. Toni Luke—"spell it with a K, eh!" he insisted—approached with two homemade flags made from broomsticks. One was Palestinian, and the other, an Israeli one with a swastika highlighted in red. At 71, this former day laborer says he's been "in every battle," but few as important as the current one. "What's happening in Gaza is huge. A true genocide. I've been to almost all the demonstrations," he said.

Many others, however, have joined more recently, like Alexandre, a 28-year-old circus artist. "I started mobilizing a couple of months ago. I think I had previously built a shell and avoided watching the news from Gaza," he commented, his head covered with a kufia, the traditional Palestinian headscarf that has become a symbol of the cause. So is the watermelon, featured on fans, T-shirts, and skirts, as it shares the same colors as the Palestinian flag.

Walking down a packed Passeig de Gràcia, some familiar faces from the world of culture could be spotted among the crowd, such as actors Eduard Farelo and Yolanda Sey, and pianist Clara Peya. "I'm super excited, but it took two years of genocide to get so many people out. How is it possible that it's only happening now, when a group of white people from the Flotilla were arrested?" Peya, dressed in strict black, insisted, while the crowd shouted "Boycott Israel!" and "No, no, no, no!"

"What people can't tolerate is seeing children starving."

Certainly, there were signs that referred to the Flotilla, like the one held by Aylin, an Argentine exiled in Catalonia nearly five decades ago.The Flotilla is not touched", one could read. But Anna, a teacher who was walking holding a basket on her head full of olive branches, doesn't believe that the flotilla has really been the spur of the masses: "It may have helped to raise awareness, but what people can't stand to see are children going hungry. This has been the key."

The mobilization has coincided with the news that the Israeli army will stop the conquest of Gaza City while the negotiations are underway Details of the peace deal proposed by TrumpA glimmer of hope loomed amid the mourning for the more than 67,000 Palestinians killed in Gaza. Both green and black are the colors of the Palestinian flag. However, among the protesters, distrust of the latest diplomatic moves promoted from Washington prevailed. "I'm not optimistic. I'm very disappointed with politics. Economic and strategic interests take precedence over people," Anna reflected.

The demonstration proceeded normally, and there were only moments of tension when an activist began to spray paint the word boycott on the windows of the Bershka store, near Gran Via. "A man grabbed him by the neck, and then, when people tried to separate them, he pulled out a gun. Everyone was very scared. Let's assume he was a police officer, but he was in plain clothes," explained a young witness to the events. The Mossos d'Esquadra confirmed to ARA that it was an undercover officer, but they maintain that he never pulled out his weapon. The officer reportedly entered the store, and those responsible for the event immediately lowered the shutters. A few meters away, protesters forced another brand accused of ties to Israel, Stradivarius, to also lower its shutters. Curiously, the store is on the ground floor of the building that houses the Qatari consulate, the main mediator in the conflict. In a globalized world, Palestine is the thread that connects everything.

After 2 p.m., the head of the demonstration reached its destination, the Arc de Triomf. It was time for the speeches. "Today it has been proven that Catalonia is anti-Zionist! We must isolate the genocidal state of Israel!" proclaimed Alys Samson Estapé, spokesperson for the coalition Enough Complicity with Israel, while a giant banner with the word Palestine It was unfurled at the Arc de Triomphe to loud applause. Ismail, a member of the BDS platform for the boycott of Israel from Girona, looked on with satisfaction, but warned: "The Palestinians have been fighting for many years. Many people came today, but we must continue."