Tens of Thousands March Across London, New York City, Dublin, and Vienna to Commemorate Nakba Day
To commemorate the 75th anniversary of the Day of Nakba (also known as the Day of Catastrophe) - the event that marks the illegal creation of the Israeli regime - thousands of people have taken to the streets in London, New York City, Dublin and Vienna in protest.
At the rallies held on Sunday, the demonstrators demanded that the Tel Aviv regime cease its occupation of Palestine.
At the British capital, a demonstration named “Nakba 75 – End Apartheid, End the Occupation” took place outside the BBC headquarters, and afterwards the demonstrators marched to Downing Street, the home of the Prime Minister.
The Palestinian Forum in Britain, Friends of al-Aqsa, the Palestine Solidarity Campaign (PSC), and the Muslim Association of Britain were the organizers of the event.
Leanne Mohammed, a British Palestinian activist attending the rally, told Middle East Eye (MEE) that the Nakba was not just a one-time occurrence, and that its consequences are still being felt today.
“75 years ago, Zionist militias forced my family out of their home in Haifa, Palestine, turning them into refugees in Lebanon. Despite the passing of three-quarters of a century, they are still residing in the same refugee camp,” she stated.
The PSC announced in a post on their website that Nakba Day is not just a commemoration of a historical event, but also a “continuing process of oppression” that has been taking place for the last 75 years with the colonization of land, the enforcement of apartheid, and the military occupation.
Jeremy Corbyn, a longtime advocate against Israel’s occupation of Palestine, joined the London march.
Jeremy Corbyn tweeted, “Today we marched through London to mark the 75th anniversary of the Nakba and speak out against the ongoing dispossession of the Palestinian people. Let us call for an end to the occupation and freedom for Palestine!”
Between 1947 and 1949, Israeli forces took control of more than 78 percent of historic Palestine and forcibly displaced at least 750,000 Palestinians from their lands and homes.
At the rally, a large number of young Palestinians emphasized the importance of keeping the memory of Nakba Day alive.
A demonstrator told Middle East Eye, “As the saying goes, ‘the old will die, the young will forget’, but we Palestinians of my generation have shown that no one has forgotten. In fact, our very existence is a form of resistance.”
On Saturday, close to a thousand individuals dressed in red, green, white, and black assembled in the center of Bay Ridge, Brooklyn, to commemorate Nakba Day. Among them was Salma Abdallah, standing among the crowd surrounded by Palestinian flags.
In New York City, people of all ages proudly wore keffiyehs around their shoulders, heads, and necks, chanting, “Free, Free Palestine!” and “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free!”
Abdallah, a resident of upstate New York, spoke to the Middle East Eye about his experience. “I’ve never seen something like this in person before; it was always on social media,” he said. “But last year I made a promise to myself that I’d attend one of these rallies. And here I am!”
At Bay Ridge, members of the Arab community commemorated Nakba Day by celebrating Palestinian resistance, life, culture and the ongoing drive for Palestinian liberation. The event was framed not just as a demonstration but rather as a tribute to the values and ideals of their community.
Within Our Lifetime, the organizer for the event, declared on social media that the gathering was a way of demonstrating our strength and demonstrating to NYC that we are in solidarity with Palestine from the river to the sea, and we back Palestinian resistance and liberation in any way possible.
The event was sponsored by over 20 organizations, including Samidoun, the Palestinian Prisoner Solidarity Network; the Palestinian Youth Movement; American Muslims for Palestine; and the Black Alliance for Peace.
In Dublin, Ireland’s capital and largest city, a demonstration was held to commemorate the Palestinian Nakba.
Activists in support of Palestine marched in Vienna, Austria to commemorate Nakba Day.
In December 2020, the United Nations General Assembly passed a pro-Palestinian resolution to mark Nakba Day, with 90 votes in favor, 30 votes against, and 47 abstentions.
