Baltic Solidarity With Palestine
Press release: People Of The Three Baltic States Against The Genocide In Gaza
Tallinn – Riga – Vilnius
On Saturday the 17th of February different actions of Baltic Solidarity with Palestine will take place in the three Baltic states – Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania – in solidarity with the Palestinian people, demanding an end to the on-going genocide in Gaza, and that our governments stop supporting and collaborating with Israel’s actions in all of occupied Palestine.
For nearly five months the whole world has been watching Israel commit genocide in Gaza, with no impunity whatsoever. Of the around 30,000 people murdered by Israeli soldiers so far, approx. one third is children.
This will be the first-ever joint event dedicated to Palestine, taking place simultaneously in the three Baltic States.
The traditional Palestinian dance dabkeh was chosen as a unifying thread for the three events.
Why the Palestinian folk dance in Baltic capital cities
In the spirit of holding hands for justice and for humanity, we will perform the traditional Palestinian dance – dabkeh – in our respective cities on the same day, at the same time.
Dabkeh is a rhythmic communal dance, performed while holding hands. Although it is usually filled with joy and energy and exclusively performed during happy occasions, which is far away from the current realities in Palestine, we believe it represents the admirable resilience and steadfastness of the Palestinian people who for decades and decades refuse to be dehumanized and instead choose to teach LIFE.
Apart from this unifying action, a recording of which will be made available on that same day, the rest of the solidarity events will differ from country to country.
Estonia will hold a day of cultural happenings with music, food, and panel discussions, as well as a fundraiser for Gaza.
Latvia will witness a peaceful public protest, the first since the current Israeli-made genocide was started, as previous attempts for peaceful gatherings against the slaughter of Gaza have been undemocratically banned by the Latvian government.
Lithuania, having witnessed three public protests and several cultural initiatives over the last few months, will hold a flashmob-type of performance.
Why Baltics
Several decades ago, we were not afraid to stand up for freedom, for we understood that nobody else will do it for us. We held hands with family, friends, and strangers, expressing our solidarity with each other and with our cause, condemning those that oppress us and deny us our human rights.
In this spirit of solidarity we invite you – people who have themselves experienced military occupation and their children – to show solidarity with the oppressed peoples of today, with those whose very lives are being crushed in front of our eyes.
For further information about the events in each of the Baltic States please contact:
Estonia: [email protected]
Latvia: [email protected]
Lithuania: [email protected]
