Protesters blocked traffic at the square in front of the Municipal Theater Rivoli from 8:00 p.m. to 10:10 p.m., before moving to Aliados, where they halted traffic in one direction of the avenue, and later, at the intersection with Rua Elísio de Melo, blocked the other direction.
Chants heard at the square included slogans such as “Long live the Palestinian people’s struggle, Israel is a murderous state” and calls to action like “Free Palestine” and “Stop the genocide,” which continued at Aliados.
Among the approximately 1,000 demonstrators present at Praça D. João I, there were numerous Palestinian flags and banners demanding freedom for members of the intercepted Global Sumud Flotilla, which includes Mariana Mortágua and Sofia Aparício.
After blocking the traffic, the protesters spontaneously began a march along Rua de Passos Manuel, stopping at the first traffic lights, where they continued to prevent vehicular movement.
The Global Sumud Flotilla, largely dismantled with more than 90% of its members detained—443 out of 500—by Israeli forces, has only the legal support vessel “Summertime” remaining in the Mediterranean, following the interception of nearly all boats approaching Gaza.
Among the flotilla participants detained by Israeli authorities are four Portuguese citizens: the leader of the Bloco de Esquerda, Mariana Mortágua, actress Sofia Aparício, and activists Miguel Duarte and Diogo Chaves.
The ongoing war in Gaza, triggered by attacks on Israel led by the Palestinian extremist group Hamas on October 7, 2023, resulted in approximately 1,200 deaths and over two hundred hostages.
Israel’s retaliation has caused over 66,000 deaths, the destruction of almost all Gaza’s infrastructure, and the forced displacement of hundreds of thousands of people.
Israel has also imposed a blockade on the delivery of humanitarian aid in the enclave, where around 400 people have already died from malnutrition and starvation, most of them children.
