JAKARTA — “FREE FREE PALESTINE!!! PALESTINE WILL BE FREE!!!”
The echo of the phrase calling for freedom for Palestine continues to reverberate. Echoing, as a tireless call to assert Palestine’s right to freedom. This voice is a collective call to end oppression and free Palestine from the shackles of injustice.
On Sunday (3/3/2024), Dompet Dhuafa together with the Civil Society Coalition held a Palestine Solidarity Action at Bundaran HI, Jakarta. They voiced their humanitarian support for Palestine and highlighted the alarming decline in solidarity awareness towards Palestine. This action was called to be held again after the movement for Palestine faded, as well as to revive the awareness of civil society solidarity to stop the brutality and encourage a peaceful settlement in Palestine.
Amidst fading civil society support, the genocide in Palestine continues to rage. Since October 7, 2023, a series of attacks have claimed more than 30,354 lives and injured more than 60,000 civilians.
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On Wednesday (28/2/2024), the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) launched another attack on Palestinians who were lining up for humanitarian aid in the Gaza Strip. This incident was reported by the spokesperson of the Palestinian Ministry of Health, Ashraf al-Qudra, who mentioned that the Israeli attack occurred in the Kuwait roundabout area, south of Gaza City. In the tragedy, 118 Palestinians were killed, while 760 were injured.
“This action is to gather support from civil society regarding the Palestinian cause. Because, we see that the number of casualties has reached more than 30 thousand, as well as the civil society that has missed the humanitarian conditions of our friends in Palestine. We from the Coalition of Civil Society Organizations consisting of KontraS, Dompet Dhuafa, and several participating organizations hope that this action can also raise the anxiety of civil society for Palestine,” said Nadine Sherani Salsabila as KontraS International Advocacy Division.
This action is part of a series of advocacy agendas of Dompet Dhuafa and the Civil Society Coalition consisting of Amnesty International, DBS Indonesia, KontraS, IDM Milk Tea Paham Indonesia, and several other civil organizations as Humanitarian Support for Palestine. All of these organizations held their actions simultaneously with the Car Free Day at Bundaran HI. Since 6:30 a.m., dozens of protesters had gathered with various attributes. They carried a number of Palestinian flags and replicas of children’s bodies, wearing black uniforms and white scarves.
Aan Dirga as the Dompet Dhuafa Advocacy Team said that the event began with the delivery of speeches from various representatives of the organization followed by theatrical performances by Teater Ras (Palestinian Mother and Child Theater) which illustrated various forms of suffering, especially experienced by women and children as the most severe victims.
“It tells about the atrocities that occurred in Palestine and displays some forms of suffering that are the most severe victims in Palestine today. The most affected are women and children. So it depicts the tragedy that happened there, and also highlights the issues of child massacres,” said Aan.
In addition, the protest also publicly displayed a list of the names of the victims of Israel’s atrocities.
“We also held a banner with the names of the dead children. So that the public can see that the 3,000 children who died there are not just numbers, but they all have names, ages, and so on. And we want to convey that to the public,” continued Aan.
In the crowd, there were a number of posters held by the crowd, with bold inscriptions such as “End Gaza blockade”, “Stop war crimes now”, and “End Israeli apartheid”. These messages reflected the strong demand to end war atrocities and abolish the Israeli apartheid system.
In addition, the Indonesian BDS (Boycott Divestment and Sanctions) Movement Coalition emphasized that together with other civil communities, it calls on Indonesia’s obligation to reject apartheid and genocide. According to Muhammad Syauqi Hafiz, his party agrees that there must be double standards, at the Indonesian government level, regarding the genocide in Gaza. DBS voiced a strategic and effective boycott movement, so it may need to be selective in its actions.
“Hence, we want this boycott to be a conversation starter in the public that our goal is to boycott to stop Israel’s crimes. So, we boycott in order to stop Israeli atrocities and crimes because of violations of international law, and we can do it, it is not impossible and the most strategic way is boycott or divestment or sanctions at the government level. Today’s message is not a solidarity market, but it is a message of disappointment, a message of sorrow for what is happening not only in Palestine but in our world, in our conscience,” added Syauqi.
The protest then continued with a long march. The crowd moved towards Kendal Tunnel, echoing the call for the liberation of Palestine. “Free Palestine! Free Palestine! From the river to the sea! Palestine will be free!”. The rally was closed with statements from various organizations.
“We hope that this action will be an eye-opener for our friends who are present today to become representatives to voice to their respective circles. We hope that this will also open the eyes of the Indonesian government. We hope that not only civil society will be more aware and create sustainable communication patterns, but we also hope that the Indonesian government will be more aware,” Nadine concluded. (Dompet Dhuafa)
Text and Photo: Anndini Dwi Putri
Editor: Dhika Prabowo