The campaign for the liberation of Amin Abu Rashed, Palestinian-Dutch community leader, organizer and humanitarian worker, held as a Palestinian political prisoner in the Netherlands, is growing. Amin Abu Rashed is being jailed before trial despite his difficult health situation. For decades, he has been one of the most prominent leaders of the Palestinian community in the Netherlands, founding and participating in many community organizations as well as solidarity initiatives, such as the Freedom Flotilla and the European Campaign to Break the Siege on Gaza. Most recently, he is the president of the Palestinians in Europe Conference, whose conference in Malmo in May 2023 drew thousands of Palestinians across Europe and was bitterly attacked by Zionist organizations that attempted to prevent it from happening, smearing Abu Rashed in the process.
Amin Abu Rashed’s work as a community fundraiser to support needy Palestinians in Gaza and in the refugee camps, especially in Lebanon and Syria, is well-known. Just as it has earned him admiration and support from many seeking to support the steadfastness of the Palestinian people, Zionist organizations have repeatedly attacked him and his work, in an attempt to cut off the flow of support to the Palestinian popular masses in the same areas they target for siege, bombing, attack and the denial of the right to return. Dutch prosecutors have even cited “media articles” as a justification for their allegations that he is funding the resistance. Multiple organizations, including Samidoun and the Masar Badil, the Palestinian Alternative Revolutionary Path Movement, as well as the Palestinian Community in the Netherlands and the Popular Conference for Palestinians Abroad, have called for his immediate release and the dropping of all charges against him.
The campaign for his freedom is growing in advance of the 4 October hearing in his case. In Gaza, people who have benefitted from the charitable work Abu Rashed has done and other supporters rallied for his release:
In the Netherlands, Samidoun NL posted flyers and posters demanding his release at several public squares and train stations in Amsterdam:
Samidoun NL followed up by posting even more calls for his release in Rotterdam:
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In Vienna, Palästina Solidarität Österreich is calling for a demonstration on Thursday 7 September outside the embassy of the Netherlands to demand Abu Rashed’s release.
Activists in Charleroi, Belgium gathered with the Plate-Forme Charleroi-Palestine (a member organization of the Samidoun Network) on 2 September to highlight the struggles of Palestinian prisoners, including Amin Abu Rashed as well as Palestinian prisoners on hunger strike for freedom inside the occupation jails.
In Paris, the speech of Samidoun Paris Banlieue at the 2 September demonstration in support of Palestine highlighted the cases of Amin Abu Rashed, the Palestine Action prisoners in Britain and Georges Abdallah alongside the hunger strikers:
🇵🇸 Lors du rassemblement de @Europalestine1 à Paris ce samedi 2 septembre, Samidoun est intervenu pour appeler à intensifier la solidarité avec l’ensemble des 5100 prisonniers palestiniens, dont 4 grévistes de la faim qui mettent leur vie en jeu pour leur liberté.#FreeThemAll pic.twitter.com/1sXoPqeih0
— Samidoun Paris Banlieue (@SamidounPB) September 5, 2023
Tom Martin of the Collectif Palestine Vaincra also spoke about the case during his interview with Al Mayadeen on the second anniversary of the Freedom Tunnel, the escape of six Palestinian prisoners from the occupation’s Gilboa prison on 6 September 2021:
As Samidoun Palestinian Political Prisoner Solidarity Network we demand the immediate release of Amin Abu Rashed and that all charges against him be dropped. Amin is a respected community leader and organizer, who actively supports his people in social, political and humanitarian ways. We call upon all Palestinian- and solidarity organizations to stand together in defense of Amin and the right to organize for Palestinian liberation.
Amin Abu Rashed’s first public court hearing will take place 4 October 2023 at the courtroom in Rotterdam. We call upon all Palestinians and supporters to join this hearing and show support for Amin and his family.
For updates, please also follow:
- Palestijnse Gemeenschap – https://www.facebook.com/Palestijnsegemeenschap.nl
- European Palestinian Information Center EPAL- https://www.facebook.com/TheEuropeanPalestinianMediaCenter
