Seychelles for Palestine march |29 January 2024
Members of the ‘Seychelles for Palestine’ local group during the “peaceful” march on Saturday morning (Photos: Joena Meme)
Crowd calls for a ceasefire in Gaza
The ‘Seychelles for Palestine’ local group organised a “peaceful” march on Saturday morning, calling for a ceasefire in Gaza.
The three-hour march which toured the town of Victoria, started at Stad Popiler and ended at the Peace Park.
Speaking to local media, one of the members, Kaela Eden, said although there is a case brought by South Africa against Israel before the International Court of Justice (ICJ), there is no call for a ceasefire yet.
“There has been a call to at least prevent acts of genocide from happening. We have come to the conclusion that every voice counts and everyone does have to stand up for something,” said Ms Eden.
‘Seychelles for Palestine’ was satisfied with Saturday’s turnout, stating it was “pretty good”. “At the end of the day, everyone who attended wants a ceasefire,” declared Ms Eden.
She explained that one of their main objectives is to make sure that Seychelles has absolutely no ties to Israel and that the country does not take part in the alleged genocide in Gaza. ‘Seychelles for Palestine’ is here to amplify voices that are being drowned and bombed within Gaza that does not have a say, she added.
“I know a lot of people feel that we are too small to be involved in these things, and fair enough, I completely understand, but also it does not matter what side you stand on. Whether you are for or against or in the middle, we are on the same planet, and we will still be affected,” said Ms Eden.
When questioned about some of the chants during the march such as “Israel is a terrorist state,” which could be considered inflammatory, Ms Eden’s response was negative: “seeing that Israel has been systematically cleansing the Palestinians for 75 plus years.”
She clarified that the group’s intention was not to change anyone’s opinion regarding the war, but rather educate the population about what is really going on.
It should be noted that on Friday, ICJ ordered Israel to take steps to prevent acts of genocide but stopped short of ordering a ceasefire. This was in relation to a case brought before the court last month by South Africa.
Latest statistics released on Friday put the death toll at around 26,083 with some 64,487 wounded in Israeli attacks on Gaza since October 7.
In Israel, the number stood at 1,139 from the October 7 Hamas attacks.
Sunny Esparon
Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are not a reflection of Seychelles NATION as a media agency.
