Iara Modarelli
21st Century Wire
As the world nears the one-year anniversary of Hamas’s offensive into southern Israel, Israel’s genocidal campaign against Palestinians in Gaza and now Lebanon continues unabated. As a response, thousands of people gathered today in the center of Barcelona to urge both Israel and the West to stop the genocide in Palestine and demand an end to their arms trade with Israel. The Palestinian death toll now exceeds 41,000 and the Lebanese death toll is over 2000.
Protesters marched along Passeig de Gràcia, demanding an end to hostilities as Israeli military operations intensified in Gaza and Lebanon. They carried large banners and shouted slogans like “Stop the genocide,” as they called for Spanish and Catalan authorities to sever all diplomatic and economic ties with Israel. Participants included prominent pro-Palestinian organizations and representatives from major labor unions, UGT and Comissions Obreres, who demanded a strong response from political leaders to address the humanitarian crisis.
Jaume Asens, a Member of the European Parliament from the left-wing party Comuns, echoed these sentiments, demanding that the Sánchez government exhibit the same decisiveness as French President Emmanuel Macron, who recommended halting arms shipments to Israel to pressure the Israeli government into ceasing military actions in Gaza. Asens emphasized the need for transparency regarding any existing arms export contracts, urging their revocation as mandated by the International Criminal Court.
Alys Samson-Estapé, spokesperson for the Coalition Against Complicity with Israel, specifically called out Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, urging him to impose an arms embargo and break relations with Israel. She also addressed the President of the Catalan Government, Salvador Illa, requesting that he refrain from promoting trade relations and sever ties, and urged Barcelona Mayor Jaume Collboni to prevent arms companies from profiting from the war and to suspend the twinning agreement with Tel Aviv.
The protest unfolded amid heightened tensions in the Middle East, where the Israeli military has warned of intensified operations in northern Gaza and ongoing bombardments in Lebanon, marking one of the most critical moments of the ongoing conflict.
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