A broad coalition of international solidarity led by the European Coordination of Committees and Associations for Palestine and a coalition of Belgian and European organisations for Palestine called for the march and protest No Association with Genocide on Sunday 26.01.2025 in Brussels. The main demand of the protest was the suspension of the Association Agreement between Israel and the European Union. This initiative was already brought forward on September 2024, when 170 organisations demanded the suspension of the EU Israel Association Agreement.
The ECCP stated: “The European Union is Israel’s top trading partner, through an association agreement that also gives it access to many European Union resources. We call for this association agreement to be suspended until Israel respects international law and human rights. All the institutions of the European Union, all the Member States, must assume their responsibilities and initiate the necessary procedures to ensure that this suspension takes effect as quickly as possible.”
Collective transportation was organized from several cities in Europe. In Luxembourg, the Coordination of Associations for Palestine in Luxembourg organized the trip by bus, while people also travelled by car and train.
CPJPO reminded: “The situation is serious, not only for the Palestinians, but for humanity as a whole. We are calling for a broad and massive mobilisation”. Indeed, what is put into question by the reports from Amnesty International, Doctors without Borders, the UNRWA, the advisory opinions of the ICC and ICJ is the respect of international law in the context of genocide in which European and Western governments are being complicit to what is being called the most documented genocide in history with intent proven and documented..
Despite the cold temperature, more than 10,000 people took part in the march. At the forefront were Palestinian collectives and they were followed by established NGOs such as Amnesty International Belgium, as well as journalists, EU staff for peace, LGBTQA+ collectives, antifa collectives, Congo collectives, collectives from Rojava as well as leftist parties, among many others.
Throughout the march, the different collectives expressed their common demands in several languages: Arabic, French, English, Flemish and Spanish. They were accompanied by speakers, music and drums. The march extended for several blocks.
As what seems to be too often the case, the march was not covered in European mainstream news media. One of the few news outlets covering the event was EuroNews with an extended piece. Nevertheless, the news outlet did not report that the main demand of the mobilization was the end of the Israel-EU Agreement.
The march subscribes to 15 months of regular mobilizations led by Palestinians and allies demanding an immediate end to the current crimes against humanity perpetuated by the state of Israel. In Luxembourg, the mobilizations have taken place every week for 15 months led by the Coordination of Associations for Palestine.
Several participants shared that the mobilization was heartwarming as it physically broke the virtual sense of media blackout and silence regarding the human rights and dignity of Palestinians. Humanizing against dehumanization to call to stop the horrors of the colonial state of Israel. The protests and marches aim to continue.
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