16 May 2024: Swedish activists gathered in front of the country’s parliament building to protest the government’s support for Israel, according to an Anadolu Agency report. The protest was led by Swedish Jewish activist Dror Feiler.
The protesters with banners that read: “End the genocide in Gaza”, “No to occupation” and “Free Palestine,” demanded an end to Sweden’s support for Israel. They marched from parliament while urging the government to reverse its support for Israel, citing ongoing human rights violations in the Gaza Strip.
Feiler emphasized to Anadolu the significance of the day – the anniversary of the Nakba.
“It has been 76 years since the beginning of the Great Nakba and it is still ongoing. Therefore, we gathered to hold a kind of silent march to commemorate this terrible anniversary, 76 years of dispossession and deaths, with the hope for a better future,” said Feiler.
He stressed the importance of unity in the cause. “We are fighting together. It doesn’t matter if we are Jewish, Muslim, Christian, or non-believers. This is about human rights and international law. We must all fight for this.”
Feiler demanded the Israeli government be held accountable for its actions in Gaza.
“The Israeli government, responsible for the violations of international law in Gaza, should be tried by the International Criminal Court in The Hague,” he said. “The members of the Israeli government should end their lives in the same prison where Slobodan Milosevic and Radovan Karadzic were held.”
Israel has waged a brutal offensive on Gaza since Oct. 7. More than 35,230 Palestinians have since been killed in Gaza, mostly women and children, and over 79,140 injured, according to Palestinian health authorities.
In the West Bank, nearly 500 Palestinians have been killed and thousands injured since then, along with daily arrest campaigns by the Israeli army.
Israel is accused of “genocide” at the International Court of Justice, which has ordered Tel Aviv to ensure its forces do not commit acts of genocide and take measures to guarantee that humanitarian assistance is provided to civilians in Gaza.