Thousands take to capital streets in support of Palestine

Several thousand people demonstrated in Luxembourg on Sunday afternoon, taking to the streets to “protest against war crimes, genocide in Gaza and ethnic cleansing in Palestine”, according to the call ahead of the rally under the Global March for Palestine label.

Both organisers and police estimate that between 5,000 and 6,000 people took part. The demonstration began at Place de l’Europe on the Kirchberg plateau and continued to Place Clairefontaine in the city centre. One of the slogans shouted was “Viva Palestina” (Long live Palestine). Luxembourg officially recognised the State of Palestine from 23 September.

Controversial slogan

Video made available to the Luxemburger Wort shows there were also groups at the demonstration who sang the highly controversial slogan “From the river to the sea” in a variation of the partisan song Bella Ciao.

The ambiguous slogan refers to the area between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea and can be interpreted as a call for Israel’s removal from the map. It was, however, not an official slogan of the rally.

During the official speeches, Engy Ali, president of Médecins sans frontières Luxembourg, criticised the situation in Gaza as devastating. The aid organisation continues to work in the narrow coastal strip despite ongoing Israeli attacks. “Thirteen of our colleagues have already been killed in Gaza and more than 540 humanitarian workers have lost their lives since October 2023,” Ali said.

‘Stop this genocide’

“As we speak, more than 15,600 patients are awaiting emergency medical evacuation, 25% of them children,” she said. “Now is the time for governments to do everything in their power to stop this genocide.”

The rally was organised by the Luxembourg Coalition for Palestine, a loose alliance of more than 50 associations and institutions. They include aid and human rights organisations such as Amnesty International, Médecins sans frontières Luxembourg and the Comité pour une Paix Juste au Proche-Orient. It was also supported by the OGBL and LCGB trades unions, as well as the political parties LSAP, déi Greng, déi Lénk and the KPL communist party.

The Luxembourg demonstration was part of a global appeal. The AFP news agency reported several demonstrations in France. It reported 700 participants in Lyon, 300 in Strasbourg and several hundred in Paris.

(This article was published by the Luxemburger Wort. Translated by AI, with editing and adaptation by Alex Stevensson.)