'Stop Genocide in Palestine' protests to be held in 41 locations across Spain for 6 days

Pro-Palestine protests under the banner "Stop the genocide in Palestine, end arms trade and relations with Israel" began on Tuesday across Spain.

The protests are organized by the Civil Society Network for Solidarity Against the Occupation of Palestine (RESCOP) and will continue in over 40 places nationwide through this weekend, including major places like Madrid, Barcelona, Seville, Granada, and Valencia.

The demonstrations are calling for Spain to cut off all relations with Israel.

Speaking to Anadolu, RESCOP spokesperson Ana Sanchez said: "We have been intensifying our actions over the past month to stop the arms trade with Israel."

"Thousands of people have been protesting across the country for months. We want the Spanish government to cut diplomatic, economic, and especially military relations with Israel," she added.

"The first thing that needs to be done is to impose an arms embargo and cancel existing licenses," she said.

Since October 8, 2023, she said – referring to the start of Israel's brutal offensive in the Gaza Strip, which has killed over 44,000 people – “the Spanish government may not have granted any new licenses for arms trade with Israel, but the government doesn't publish military export data, and there is no transparency. They must stop purchasing weapons from Israel and prevent the transit of arms through ships. They must cut all military and security ties with Israel."

Sanchez also noted that under Spanish law, current trade licenses for military equipment can be canceled if human rights violations are identified.

"There are international arrest warrants for (Prime Minister Benjamin) Netanyahu and (former Defense Minister Yoav) Gallant. There are decisions confirming Israel's war crimes and humanitarian violations. What more does the Spanish government need to cancel these licenses?" she said.

Emphasizing that they are making the same demands as other EU countries, Sanchez said, "The most fundamental and minimal action to stop the genocide against the Palestinian people is to ban the arms trade. Israel should not be supported militarily. We believe all diplomatic, political, economic, military, academic, and sports relations with Israel should be severed, just like what happened with South Africa. Other countries should follow this path. A boycott should be imposed on the colonial, occupying, apartheid state of Israel."

Sanchez also criticized the suppression of pro-Palestinian protests in some EU countries, saying: "Israel is an apartheid regime, and one of its main characteristics is silencing critical voices. Israel does this not only violently within its own borders against the Palestinian people but also by intimidating its international allies and suppressing legitimate pro-Palestinian protests abroad. This is part of the Israeli regime and is a clear violation of human rights."

As part of "Stop the genocide in Palestine, end arms trade and relations with Israel" protests, thousands of Spaniards are expected to take to the streets in Madrid and Barcelona on Saturday.