- 200+ activists rallied at COP28 for an immediate Gaza ceasefire.
- Protest inside the UN Blue Zone featured watermelon-themed banners.
- Names of Gaza victims solemnly recited as emotional protest unfolded.
Draped in keffiyehs and brandishing banners adorned with watermelons, over 200 environmental activists rallied at COP28 on Sunday.
Their impassioned plea for an ‘immediate and unconditional ceasefire in Gaza’ unfolded as casualties surged following the lapse of a temporary truce. Within the UN-governed Blue Zone, the protest commenced with the solemn recitation of names lost to Israeli airstrikes in Gaza.
The protest held inside the UN-controlled Blue Zone commenced by calling the names of those who died in Gaza due to Israeli bombing. “The list is still being written as we hold this protest,” the emcee said while protesters sobbed.
With a trembling voice, the announcer spoke the name of a 6-year-old victim who had tragically passed away. Despite the visible emotional strain, she pressed on, methodically listing the casualties that ranged from infants to the elderly.
Listen to the names of some victims in the video below by Angel Tesorero:
There is no climate justice without human rights, the protesters strongly chanted. Video Courtesy: Khaleej Times
“Climate advocates stand for victims of genocide. Fight (and stand) for the oppressed, as we stand for the environment, Luke Espiritu, labor leader from the Philippines and member of the Asian Peoples’ Movement on Debt and Development (APMDD).
“There is no climate justice without human rights. We do not simply hug trees or cry ‘protect the dolphins and sea turtles’. If preserving other life forms is linked to our survival as a species, then clearly, we see that keeping within 1.5 degrees Celsius to save humanity becomes hollow if we allow the slaughter and degradation of human life not by extreme weather events but through bullets and bombs,” Espiritu added.
Climate activists emphasized that they could not stay impartial when faced with the oppression that leads to the loss of thousands of lives.
