Protect the civilian population, stop arms exports!

CUSTOMIZATION
Saturday, January 11, 2025 – 2 p.m.
Marienplatz, Munich

We demand from the Federal Government:

  • Make every effort to achieve an immediate and comprehensive ceasefire. Only a ceasefire will create the conditions for an end to the killings and for the release of hostages and unlawfully detained people.
  • Do not supply arms to Israel if there is a risk that they will be used in violation of international law.
  • Support international jurisdiction without restrictions to end decades of impunity.
  • In accordance with the opinion of the International Court of Justice of July 19, 2024, do everything in your power to put an end to the illegal occupation, the construction of settlements in violation of international law and the displacement of the Palestinian population in the West Bank.
  • Protect freedom of expression and freedom of assembly in Germany: Protection against discrimination, racism and anti-Semitism must not be played off against the right to peaceful protest.

We are witnessing a staggering escalation of violence and suffering in Palestine and Israel. In the current war, over 44,000 people have already been killed in Palestine and over 1,200 people in Israel since October 7, 2023. Around 100 hostages are still in Gaza. At least 104,000 Palestinians have been wounded and countless are missing. Almost the entire population of Gaza, 1.9 of the 2.1 million inhabitants, has already been displaced within their country several times. Around 100,000 Israelis have been evacuated since last October.

There is no safe place in the entire Gaza Strip. Israel’s deliberate withholding of humanitarian aid, food, clean drinking water and medical care poses an acute threat to the lives of hundreds of thousands of people in Gaza. And in the West Bank, people are more vulnerable than ever to the violence of the army and settlers.

We will not and cannot remain silent about all this. We condemn all war crimes in this war, both those of Hamas and other armed Palestinian groups, as well as those of the Israeli government. We mourn all the victims of violence in Palestine and Israel. We grieve for the thousands who are arbitrarily detained in Israel and often subjected to torture and ill-treatment. We grieve for those who have been taken hostage in Gaza. We stand in solidarity with all those who are fighting for peace and equal rights for all people in the region. While the German government rightly condemns the war crimes of Hamas, it does not even name the war crimes of the Israeli government and army as such. Moreover, through its political actions it is condoning Israel’s actions in Gaza, which violate international law. The German government is weakening international jurisdiction by taking sides unilaterally. In Germany, we are experiencing massive encroachments on freedom of expression and freedom of assembly in the context of Palestine solidarity. We clearly oppose the criminalization of legitimate protests and take our criticism of the war in Gaza and the role of the German government to the streets. We are taking to the streets to make it clear: A reason of state that applies double standards to human rights and international law benefits no one and – despite the repeated political statements – does not contribute to Israel’s security either. Human rights and international law are universal. Human lives must not be subject to double standards: Palestinian life is just as precious as Israeli life.

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Calling organizations:

Doctors of the World – Amnesty International Munich – Bavarian Refugee Council – German Peace Society – United Opponents of War (DFG-VK) Munich – German Palestinian Society (DPG) – Humanist Union Southern Bavaria – Internationaler Versöhnungsbund – German Branch – International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War / Physicians in Social Responsibility e.V. (IPPNW) – Jewish-Palestinian Dialogue Group Munich – medico international – Munich Peace Alliance – Natural Scientists Initiative (NatWiss) – pax christi Diocesan Association Munich and Freising

Petition:

This appeal was originally published on the occasion of the demonstration in Berlin on October 18, 2024, see here.

The petition “For a just peace in Gaza. Stop arms exports & end the aid blockade!” can be signed here.

With this event, we want to create a space for peaceful protest that is free from discrimination and violence. We do not accept racist, anti-Palestinian and/or anti-Semitic statements or actions.

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One request: In order to express our independence, we would like to ask you to leave party and national flags at home. We are aware that Palestinian national symbols and flags in particular are repeatedly stigmatized in Germany. We condemn the blanket criminalization of such flags and symbols. That is why we formulate our wish as a request and not as a ban. We stand up for the right of all people and every group to express their identity – be it religious, ethnic or political. But at this rally, we want to focus on the universality of the human rights of all those affected by war and violence.