Hundreds march for Palestine in Istanbul
Thousands gathered in Istanbul to protest against Israel's continued massacres in Palestine and its recent attacks in Lebanon, which have led to the deaths of tens of thousands of civilians over the past year.
Duvar English
With the call of the Palestine Action Committee, thousands of people on Oct. 5 marched from Taksim Square to Beşiktaş district in Istanbul against Israel's massacres in Palestine.
Thousands gathered in front of Atatürk Cultural Center (AKM) in Taksim and marched to Dolmabahçe neighborhood with the banner “Palestinian resistance will win, genocidal Israel and its accomplices will be defeated.”
During the march, protestors chanted slogans "From Palestine to Rojava, the resisting peoples will win," "Everywhere is Palestine, everywhere is resistance," "Genocidal Israel will be held accountable," "From river to the sea, Palestine will be free.”
The group stopped in front of the German Consulate along the march route and protested against Germany for its support of Israel's war, which has killed tens of thousands of civilians.
The statement said, "We call on Germany, which is among the countries that support the genocidal Israel with its weapons, technology, and unlimited political support, as well as its embassy and the German state: Today, your provision of military support to Israel as atonement for your Nazi past and your transformation into an oppressive regime against the solidarity movement with Palestine will be remembered as a new dark stain in your history. By supporting the genocide in Palestine today, it is clearly revealed that you have learned no lessons from your own history."
The group ended the march at Dolmabahçe and made a press statement there.
“For decades, the Palestinian people have been expelled from their land, killed and their resources plundered by the Israeli state, a racist Zionist regime implanted by imperialist powers on Palestinian land. On Oct. 7, 2023, the al-Aqsa Flood was a move that stunned the occupation regime and shook its colonial ambitions in the century-long struggle of its people for existence. We salute the legitimate resistance of the Palestinian people against the occupation regime.”
One year ago Islamist Palestinian militant group launched an attack against Israel with the support of different resistance factions. Since then, Israel's military carpet bombed Gaza and destroyed nearly all civilian infrastructure and settlements in the strip.
“The Israeli army, equipped with the world's highest technology, becomes more brutal every day that it cannot break the resistance of the peoples living under exploitation and blockade, and continues to shed blood in every region of Palestine, Lebanon, Yemen, Syria and Iran,” the statement read.
“During the first seven months, the most violent period of this genocidal process, the political power in Turkey directly supplied the murderous occupation state with all the necessary raw materials: steel, chemicals, fuel. The masses who wanted to end this complicity took to the streets and the government, which exploited the Palestinian cause with a false rhetoric of support, was forced to step back,” the group stated.
The protesters pointed out that despite Turkey's decision to end the trade, Turkey has been continuing to have covert economic relations with Israel.
They said, “However, today, oil continues to be supplied to Israel through Turkey, electricity continues to be supplied by the Turkish capitalists, and logistical support to the occupation state continues indirectly. This shame is not enough, Turkey still provides intelligence support to the occupation state through military bases on its territory, and Turkish companies continue to partner with the occupation state in the field of defense industry.”
The protesters called for the termination of all economic and diplomatic relations with Israel. The protest ended after the release of the statement in English and Arabic.