Hundreds of people took to the streets of Prague on Sunday afternoon, showing solidarity with Palestinians amid the ongoing conflict with Israel. The March, which saw between 200 to 300 participants, was an occasion for people to display banners and Palestinian flags, with speakers highlighting the suffering of Palestinian children and calling for an end to the killing in Palestine.
The rally began at 14:30 in Malostranské náměstí. After less than an hour, the crowd marched through the center of Prague to Wenceslas Square, arriving around 17:00. Half an hour later, the demonstrators had dispersed. According to police, the event was peaceful.
Police officers were present throughout the gathering. “It was without disruption of public order,” said police spokeswoman Violeta Siřišťová after the event.
At the start of the event in Malostranské náměstí, demonstrators unfurled a large banner in English, calling for the cessation of killing in Palestine and an end to the occupation (Stop the killing in Palestine / End the work). Other participants held more minor signs. Speakers, too, called for an end to the killing. “Together we can stop genocide, together we can liberate Palestine,” said one speaker. Another added that lacking medicines and food leads to a humanitarian disaster. “There is no life in a land where fear reigns,” she noted.
On the way to Wenceslas Square, the crowd chanted the English slogan “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free,” a motto used by Palestinian nationalists since the 1960s. It geographically refers to the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea, where Israel lies. This slogan is regarded as genocidal, yet the police did not intervene.