“We are here to remember that day again, to remember the young people who were killed that day,” explained the Portuguese-Palestinian researcher Dima Mohammed.
The Palestinian Land Day marks the death, in 1976, of six Arab-Israelis during protests against land confiscation by Israel.
“For decades, the Palestinian people have been resisting land confiscation, a Zionist colonization project aimed at expelling the Palestinian people,” the researcher added before hundreds of demonstrators.
The garden of Campo das Cebolas was the last stop of the march, which traveled for about an hour through the streets of the capital, starting from Martim Moniz Square.
“Israel is guilty of massacring a people,” “Israel is violence, Palestine is resistance,” and “Peace in the Middle East, independent Palestine” were some of the chants heard during the procession.
With Palestinian flags and placards held high, and wearing ‘keffiyeh’ scarves (the traditional scarf in several Middle Eastern countries which has become a symbol of the Palestinian struggle), there were repeated calls for peace, a ceasefire, and the recognition of the State of Palestine.
“We often feel powerless to do anything, but even if it’s just to show that we are still here, still thinking about the cause and still believing that something can be done, we came,” Ana Campos told Lusa.
Already seated on the grass at Campo das Cebolas with her children, the participant considered it important to explain to them that “there are children like them on the other side of the world who are not as fortunate to live in safety.”
Her children were not the only ones at the protest, which also gathered people of all ages, making it a meeting of generations.
At the age of 80, Antonieta marched the entire route to express her solidarity with the Palestinian people.
“The Portuguese government should be a just parent and truly speak in favor of those who are being targeted by the brutal fascist force imposing itself on [the Palestinians],” she criticized.
On October 7, 2023, the Islamist group Hamas launched a surprise attack on southern Israel, firing thousands of rockets and sending armed militiamen into the area, taking hundreds of hostages.
In response, Israel declared war on Hamas, a movement that has controlled the Gaza Strip since 2007. This marked an escalation in a decades-long conflict that, in the past year and a half, has resulted in tens of thousands of deaths, mainly in the Gaza Strip, according to Palestinian reports.
“The conflict continues, the genocide continues, and it has to be stopped once and for all,” urged the Secretary-General of the PCP, Paulo Raimundo, who joined the protest.
Speaking to journalists, the communist leader argued that there is no reason for the government not to have recognized the State of Palestine yet, calling it “at least embarrassing for the Portuguese state to be among the last to make the necessary decision.”
The parliamentary leader of BE, representing the party at the start of the march, also advocated for a change in Portugal’s stance. He wants the country to act with the European Union regarding, for example, the enforcement of the International Criminal Court’s arrest warrant for the Israeli Prime Minister.
“Portugal has a role in affirming international justice. We expect the Portuguese government to live up to its human rights defense tradition and make its protest known to the Hungarian authorities, who have already stated they will ignore the arrest warrant,” said Fabian Figueiredo, referencing the planned visit of Benjamin Netanyahu to Hungary next week.
