In support of the prisoners’ movement and the resistance in Palestine, Samidoun Network and the Alternative Palestinian Revolutionary Path Movement organized a demonstration in Berlin on Saturday 04.02.2023 along the “Sonnenallee”, or as it’s locally known “the Arabs Street”. The demonstration took place after occupation forces had stormed several sections in different prisons, and transferred many prisoners at random, prevented visits, and placed a large number of prisoners in solitary confinement. Zionist forces also stormed the rooms of the female prisoners in “Damon Prison” and assaulted them with beatings and tear gas. Palestinian prisoners in various prisons responded by declaring a state of alert, which was followed by negotiations with the prison administration, in which the prisoners movement secured victory and the administration retracted its escalatory measures.
The demonstration’s call stated that “the Zionist occupation killed 30 Palestinians since the beginning of the year 2023, at a time when the occupation government is taking escalatory measures against Palestinian prisoners, especially after the Jenin massacre”. Along the Palestinian and Arab participants, the demonstration was supported and attended by local leftist and youth forces.
Following is the speech that was read in Arabic and German during the demonstration:
We stand here today in honour of the martyrs in Jenin, in Nablus, in Jerusalem, in Umm al-Fahm, in the Negev and in Gaza. They have sacrificed with their blood for more than a hundred years for the freedom and dignity of the Palestinian people. This people who were and still are persecuted and live in refugee camps…. And despite the pain and suffering, they have continued to resist for decades.
What we see lately in the arrogance and brutality of the occupation is only proof of its confusion and the panic of its army and security apparatus in the face of the escalating resistance that has been going on since the beginning of colonialism in Palestine until today, after a hundred years, in Jenin, Nablus, Jerusalem, Umm al-Fahm, Haifa, the Negev and Gaza. That is why we say to this entity: you are weak! And that our people, young and old, will not stop and will never tire until they obtain their freedom. This is the fate of the occupation and the fate of its treacherous agents, led by the Palestinian Authority in Ramallah, which is killing our people, handing over our resistance to the occupation and oppressing our people in the West Bank with American training and equipment. From here, from Berlin, we send our greetings to the prisoners in the prisons of the Palestinian Authority, to Musab Shtayyeh and his companions, and we tell them that this authority, ruled by Mahmoud Abbas, Hussein Al-Sheikh and Majid Faraj, will soon find its fate in the hands of our people, who are tired of being ruled by treacherous agents.
Friends and comrades, the Palestinian prisoners’ movement is currently engaged in a great struggle in the prisons of the occupation, which they are paying for with their health and lives. We would also like to send special greetings to the Palestinian women prisoners in the prisons of the occupation, who have been subjected to a wave of repression and attacks by the prison administration in recent days, aimed at breaking their will and dignity. But in vain! This policy against our prisoners, escalating in its brutality, is an attempt by the new fascist Zionist government under the criminal Netanyahu and the fascist Ben Gvir to prove to their settlers that they are capable of defeating the will of our prisoners and our brave resistance, but their attempts are in vain! Our prisoners’ movement has and will have the last word. After the Palestinian prisoners’ movement declared a state of alert following these escalations, the prison administration was forced to negotiate with the prisoners’ movement, which resulted in the administration withdrawing its escalatory measures and being forced to return to the previous arrangement in order to avoid a confrontation with our brave prisoners.
This fascist Zionist government is supported by America and the European Union led by Germany, which is a major source of armament for the Zionist occupation, as this fascist entity obtains more than 25 per cent of its weapons from the German state. Germany is thus participating in the murder of our people in Palestine. And not only that, Germany is repressing the Palestinian movement here in all forms, from the repression of demonstrations to the legal persecution of Palestine activists to the banning of demonstrations on Nakba Day last year! The aspirations and freedom of expression of millions of Germans and residents in Germany are disregarded in favour of a foreign country. And why? Because the interests of this state are the same as the interests of the occupation! Therefore, we in the Palestinian Revolutionary Alternative Path Movement have not and will not ask the state for help, nor will we beg for its support, nor will we expect it to change its position! Our hope is with you, our people in exile, and with the internationalist supporters of the Palestinian cause that you see with us today. We, the Palestinian refugees, must reclaim our role in our struggle, we must take our national responsibility and rebuild our institutions that were destroyed after the Oslo liquidation project. And just as our people in occupied Palestine sacrifice everything for their homeland, we in Berlin, in Paris, in London, in Beirut, in Istanbul, in Chile and everywhere must rekindle our willingness to sacrifice for our cause until liberation and return!
Down with the Zionist entity!
Down with America and down with colonialism!
Long live the Palestinian resistance in all its forms!
Glory to our prisoners’ movement!
And glory to our brave martyrs!
