DOZENS of protestors gathered at Eleftheria Square yesterday and marched to the Israeli embassy burning Israeli flags decrying a recent Israeli military offensive that has killed more than 100 Palestinians in Gaza.
“We are asking people to condemn this action; Israel is asking people to sympathise with them and are not even ashamed to call this a ‘holocaust’. This is very hypocritical when they expect people to sympathise with them as they plan to do to us what was done to them so many years ago. What is the difference between the Nazi atrocities and what Israel, is doing in the Gaza Strip now?”, Belal Doufesh, President of the Union of Palestinians in Cyprus (UPC) told the Mail, “This protest is the least we can do for our families back in Palestine, we put our faith in the people and we aim at raising awareness and we hope for change.
“Many Zionists react when comparisons are made between Israel and Nazi Germany. A Holocaust, after all, doesn’t become less important when perpetrated by Jews”, Maher, a 25 year old Palestinian student said.
The demonstration called for a demand for an immediate stop to the continuous massacres in the Gaza Strip against civilians, an immediate end to the siege of Gaza, an end to all Israeli war crimes in Gaza and the West Bank, the prosecution of the Israeli military generals who are responsible for the genocide in Gaza Strip as criminals of war, and for the end of Israeli occupation and apartheid.
A Palestinian refugee, Ahmed who has been in Cyprus for twelve years told the Mail. “How would you feel if your mother is far away from you all alone with no electricity, no necessary supplies, there is no milk for the children, everything is closed because of this situation”.
Many of Ahmeds friends and family were killed in attacks at the Jabalia refugee camp.
“All the weapons we are using are some harmless fire-crackers that only make sounds, they are fired by some distressed Gazans in order to frighten Israelis from killing more of our children. These are hand-made and are made to protect and not to kill” Ahmed added.
The pressure of the blockade has plunged the overcrowded population of 1.4 million people of Gaza into poverty, stopping the flow of fuel, necessary goods and medical supplies and is regularly cutting off the electricity and water.
Participating in the demonstration were the Union of Palestinians in Cyprus, Hands Across the Divide, Federation of Environmental and Ecological Organisations, Stop the War Coalition, KISA-Action for Equality , Support, Anti-Racism, Workers Democracy, Youth Against Nationalism, Kurdish-Cypriot Friendship Club, Foreign Students Association, Nepalese Equality Association , the YKP (New Cyprus Party) and the bicommunal BARAKA Cultural Centre.
