A civic platform in the Algarve is urging citizens to take part in a demonstration calling for “international intervention in defence of Palestine” which will be held in Faro this Thursday, September 18.
The initiative, organised by Algarve for Palestine, will begin at 7.30pm in front of the Algarve Regional Coordination and Development Commission (CCDR) headquarters, located at Praça da Liberdade, 2. The action will take the form of a march through the town, accompanied by pot-banging and emergency alarms.
“As the Global Sumud Flotilla sails to Gaza to break its illegal blockade, the non-partisan civic platform Algarve for Palestine joins the global uprising of grassroots, independent and autonomous popular movements in thousands of loud and alarm-sounding actions that cannot be ignored, all over the world – a wave of protests to stop the ongoing genocide,” the group says in a statement.
According to the organisers, the demonstration is part of a worldwide mobilisation promoted by the International Coalition to Stop Genocide in Palestine (ICSGP) and the Palestinian NGO Network (PNGO). Similar actions are planned in several countries as part of a “global day of general strike and protest, demanding effective and immediate measures from the UN General Assembly to end the genocide perpetrated by Israel,” the civic platform states.
The date also coincides with the one-year deadline set by UN General Assembly Resolution A/RES/ES-10/24, which called for Israel to withdraw from the Occupied Palestinian Territories. The platform states that Israel has not complied with the resolution and accuses it of escalating violence. “Israel continues to show total and absolute disregard for international institutions and law,” it adds.
In their statement, the organisers also criticise the “inconsequential and blatant inaction” of governments and international institutions, arguing that immediate steps are needed to protect civilians in Gaza and the West Bank. They call on the UN General Assembly to invoke the “Uniting for Peace” mechanism, which allows the organisation to act when the Security Council is blocked by a veto.
Among the measures being demanded are the deployment of a multinational protection force in Palestine, sanctions and an arms embargo on Israel, the rejection of Israel’s credentials at the United Nations, and the creation of an international tribunal to investigate alleged war crimes.
The action in Faro is supported by international networks and organisations, including: La Via Campesina, ALBA Movimientos, World March of Women, People’s Health Movement, International Association of Democratic Lawyers, Africa 4 Palestine, Freedom Flotilla Coalition, Gaza Tribunal, FIAN International, No Cold War, Protect Palestine, Assembly of Struggles and Resistance of the World Social Forum, International Coalition to Stop Genocide in Palestine, People Against Genocide Everywhere, amongst many other international, national – including the Global Movement For Gaza Portugal – and local organisations and movements, from Palestine to the rest of the world.
Organisers are urging Algarve residents to join the demonstration and “sound the alarm” in what they describe as a critical moment for international diplomacy and for the Palestinian people.
