Protests and Turning Lights Off in 90 Cities Worldwide in Solidarity With Gaza, Calling for an End to the Israeli Siege

Dozens of protests held worldwide calling for an end to the Israeli siege of Gaza

Sunday February 24, 2008 06:55 by Saed Bannoura - IMEMC News

In partnership with Popular Committee Against the Siege (PCAS), Friends of freedom and Justice-Bil'in, and Gaza On My Mind, dozens of groups worldwide held protests in solidarity with the people of Gaza on Saturday February 23rd.

Participating nations include France, UK, Greece, Italy, Netherlands, Germany, Sweden, Switzerland, Denmark, Spain, Canada, USA, Russia, Romania, Scotland, Ireland, Ukraine, Bulgaria, Morocco, Mauritania, South Africa, Algeria, Libya, Turkey, Norway, the Sudan, Egypt, Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, Lebanon, Syria, Egypt, Israel, West Bank and the Gaza strip.

In Ramallah, in the West Bank, a candlelight vigil was held in which participants marched through the streets holding candles, ending in the central al-Manara square in downtown Ramallah. They held Palestinian flags and chanted freedom slogans, also calling for national unity among all Palestinians. Part of the protests included switching off the lights in the evening for thirty minutes in solidarity and sympathy with the besieged people of Gaza.

In the Gaza Strip, electricity has been severely rationed and there are daily blackouts due to the Israeli siege. In addition, many of the protests also included delegations to the local Israeli consulate to submit a letter on behalf of besieged Gazans.

Millions of citizens worldwide turn lights off in solidarity with Gaza

[ 24/02/2008 - 11:32 AM ]

GAZA, (PIC)--

Within the events of the world day to break the siege marked on Saturday, millions of citizens in 90 cities around the world participated in these events and turned the lights off for five minutes in solidarity with the besieged Gaza people.

This step comes within events in solidarity with the Gaza Strip organized in more than 40 countries in coordination with the popular committee against the siege and aimed to send a message to the world about the oppressed Palestinian people in Gaza.

For his part, MP Jamal Al-Khudari, the head the popular committee against the siege, hailed advocates of freedom in these countries who participated in the world day to break the siege, adding that these blessed efforts will gain respect and appreciation of all Gaza people.

Khudari called on all free men of the world and the Arab and Muslim peoples to continue their activities in solidarity with the Gaza people until the siege is fully broken, and also called for taking expeditious and serious official steps in all countries of the world to save the Gaza people from the unjust Israeli siege.

In the same context, a large number of residents of occupied Jerusalem organized Saturday in the courtyard of the Church of the Resurrection a protest rally in solidarity with the besieged Gaza people during which prayers were recited for the support of the Palestinian people.

In a speech, Dr. Attallah Hanna, the Greek Orthodox Archbishop of Sabastia, stated: "We in Jerusalem stand with our people in Gaza and call for lifting the blockade against our people there. Gaza was always in support of blessed Jerusalem. Our solidarity is with the people of Gaza who are suffering from tragic, harsh and difficult circumstances with the ongoing siege imposed on them and the continuous targeting of stones, humans and trees."

Archbishop also questioned the legitimacy of blockading more than one and a half million people in Gaza, denying them access to electricity, food and medicines. "What right has they to isolate our people in Gaza as if they were prisoners in a big prison," Hanna said.

"We appeal to our friends everywhere to assume their humanitarian responsibility towards our besieged people in Gaza," he added.

On the world day to break the siege, thousands of students at the community college of applied science and technology in Gaza with the participation of academics and a delegation from the popular committee against the siege stood up on Saturday for few hours at the headquarters of the college to express their solidarity with the Gaza Strip.

For his part, the head of the popular committee against the siege saluted the students and the attendees, underlining that the Israeli occupation also besieges scientists, students and edifices of science.

He called on freedom loving peoples around the world to support the Palestinian students because thousands of them cannot pay their tuition fees or afford their transportation costs.

Fair Use Notice

This site contains copyrighted material the use of which has not always been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. We are making such material available in our efforts to advance understanding of environmental, political, human rights, economic, democracy, scientific, and social justice issues, etc. We believe this constitutes a 'fair use' of any such copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright Law. In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, the material on this site is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes. For more information go to: http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml. If you wish to use copyrighted material from this site for purposes of your own that go beyond 'fair use', you must obtain permission from the copyright owner.