The Palestinian flag is waved at a solidarity march outside the US Consulate in Johannesburg on 12 October. [Picture: Nareen Naidoo/Salaamedia]
The streets of prominent cities worldwide have of late been coloured with the colours of the Palestinian flag – red, black, white and green – as thousands demonstrate in solidarity with the people of Palestine. This, as Israel’s bombardment of the Gaza Strip enters its sixth day and the casualties on both sides continue to climb.
From Chicago to Sydney and Johannesburg to Jerusalem, throngs of human rights defenders flooded the streets to make clear their stance against Israel’s brutal assault on Gaza. Many echoed similar sentiment, that an injustice to one was an injustice to all.
In the six days that PM Benjamin Netanyahu’s government pounded the coastal enclave, the occupying forces razed an estimated 22,639 homes, 10 institutions and 48 schools in Gaza. At least 1200 lives have been lost, hundreds of those women and children. Food, water and aid stocks are dwindling.
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Solidarity picket in Johannesburg
On Wednesday, Johannesburg’s fervent supporters of the Palestinian cause heeded the call for a picket outside the United States Consulate in Sandton, Johannesburg. Across the street from them stood a lone pro-Israel demonstrator.
Among the speakers at the picket was Ronnie Kasrils, a Jewish anti-apartheid activist and former minister of intelligence under Thabo Mbeki. Visibly weak from an illness, he could not be stopped from showing up to condemn American support of Israel’s atrocities in Palestine.
“Mr Biden, as a little boy, you must have learnt your history of your Revolution against the English power and English occupation and oppression. You were provoked by the English Crown and you raised the right of a people to defend themselves, arms in hand, like we did in our country,” he said, drawing parallels between the American Revolution and the Palestinian’s desire to be unshackled from Zionist occupation.
Also present at the picket outside the US Consulate was Tarik Lalla, a student at the University of Pretoria (UP). “Injustice anywhere is injustice everywhere,” he said.
He added, “Anybody who cares about human rights has a responsibility and a duty to be present where we are today to object to what is happening by the apartheid state against our brothers and sisters in Palestine.”
Tarik Lalla, a student from the University of Pretoria is one of the demonstrators at the picket outside the US Consulate in Johannesburg. He says “an injustice anywhere is an injustice everywhere”. #PalestineUnderAttack pic.twitter.com/AnFkTGXhyr
— Salaamedia (@salaamedia) October 11, 2023
