Barcelona once again calls out against the genocide in Palestine

BarcelonaIn the worst moments of the Israeli offensive in the Gaza Strip and in Israel's full attack on Iran25,000 people, according to the organizers, and 18,000, according to the Guardia Urbana, marched through the center of Barcelona again this afternoon to demand an end to the genocide in Palestine and the severance of institutional and commercial relations with Israel. Under the slogan "We're stopping the genocide in Palestine, enough arms trade with Israel," the protest exceeded expectations and the march had to be halted before its scheduled end in Plaça Sant Jaume.

Mazeed Jalilia, from the Palestinian Community of Catalonia and the Coalition Enough Complicity with Israel, denounced that "it has been almost two years of televised massacre and ethnic cleansing in Gaza, the West Bank, and Lebanon." She emphasized that "the Palestinian people are resisting," but demanded that "the river of blood of Palestinian children" be stopped. "We want an end to Israel's Zionist military occupation of Palestine and we demand to be able to live with dignity," she said. The slogan "It's not a war, it's a genocide" was repeated throughout the protest, as well as "From the river to the sea, Palestine freedom" and "Israel kills, Europe sponsors."

The demonstration, one of the largest seen in Barcelona since monthly protests began in dozens of cities coordinated by the Solidarity Network Against the Occupation of Palestine, also condemned Israel's recent attacks on Iran. Representatives of the Dona Vida Llibertat movement and the Iranian diaspora took part, denouncing Netanyahu's attack as "will cause even more repression within Iran."

Celia Carbonell, spokesperson for the Coalition Enough Complicity with Israel, condemned "the silence of governments, which make genocide possible," and rejected the complicity of companies "that subsidize it." Throughout the march, protesters stopped and posted stickers on McDonald's and Starbucks restaurants on Ronda de San Pedro, which have since closed their doors. Several banners demanded that the Spanish government impose an arms embargo and sever diplomatic relations with Israel.