On the 29th of November, a number of protests took place across Portugal to mark the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People. The biggest event was held in Portugal’s capital Lisbon, and approximately 200 people attended. Other protests took place in Porto and Coimbra, two other Portuguese cities.
The events that take place on this day in this country usually consist of conferences in support of the Palestinian people. However, due to COVID-19, the event this year was held outdoors, in the form of a protest.
This protest was organized by the Movement for the Rights of the Palestinian People and Peace in the Middle East (MPPM), the Portuguese Council for Peace and Cooperation (CPPC), and the General Confederation of the Portuguese Workers (CGTP-IL).
The group organizers delivered a manifesto and delivered a statement to everyone on the street. They demanded the removal of the apartheid wall, the end of the occupation, the freedom for the Palestinian prisoners, and the right to return for Palestinian refugees.
On the street, protesters chanted: “Palestine will win!”
A key theme was the progress of the Palestinian movement that is transforming passive bystanders into active defenders of the cause.
“No one can claim ignorance, no one can say they didn’t know,” said one of the organizers. He continued: “No one, in fact, responsibly, can dare to say so”. Indeed, people have become more aware of the Palestinian cause that staying silent based on remaining neutral has become less acceptable by Palestinians and the word altogether.
The statement further stipulated that “No one can pretend they have not heard of the threatened children on the way to school and so often taken prisoners”. “No one can ignore the humiliations at checkpoints, the raids at night, torture in prisons, hunger strikes of men and women in administrative prison,” it further included.
Since the events were held in Portugal, discussions about the country’s contrary stance regarding the Palestinians took place. Portugal does not actually recognize the State of Palestine and this was also a question set forward by the organizers. They asked: “Why [is there] no clear, coherent, and consistent diplomatic action aiming to defend and promote the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people?”
The protest ended with a positive note, promoting hope, and encouraging everyone to continue disseminating the struggle of the Palestinian people all while sharing their history, culture, and art, and most importantly, raising the Palestinian flags in collective solidarity.