Like those seen in other European countries, a number of marches and rallies have recently been staged in Spanish cities in solidarity with the people of Palestine following the Israeli invasion which has resulted in over 1,000 deaths. The largest of these demonstrations were in Madrid and Barcelona while thousands of people have taken to the streets of most other major cities in anger at what they view as Israeli war crimes and genocide. The protests continued over the weekend of 17th/18th January as Madrid, Valencia, Zaragoza, Almeria, Malaga, Murcia and Seville all saw large crowds peacefully expressing their outrage at the slaughter in the Middle East.

Seville followed on from the previous weekend’s staged rally in front of the city’s historic cathedral with a series of marches which congregated in the central Plaza Nueva outside the Ayuntamiento (Town Hall), where a series of speakers addressed the crowd. The main body of the march met in front of the Andalusian parliament building at Arco Macarena, while smaller groups left from Puerto Osario, the famous university (once the tobacco factory as featured in the opera ‘Carmen’), and from Triana, traditionally home to the city’s Gypsy inhabitants and birthplace of Flamenco.

Things got under way in warm January sunshine as the march departed through the Arco Macarena and along Calle San Luis, one of the main arteries through the Macarena barrio, part of the old city of Seville and made up of thin, labyrinthine streets and alleys. Leading the way were those carrying banners proclaiming Israel Asesino as the procession of several hundred people, old and young, Spanish and foreign, Catholic and Muslim, snaked it’s way through the cobbled streets of the Macarena to the Alameda de Hercules, once Seville’s vegetable gardens but now the heart of the city’s radical and non-conformist culture. Children and the elderly watched from balconies, often wearing looks of bemusement, as the chanting and whistle-blowing moved past their homes.

As the march halted in the Alameda, chants of Israel asesino lo pueblo Palestino and Boicot a Israel rung through the air. Although there was a noticeable, if slight, police presence, all the protesters were determined to express their message through non-violent means, and the air of anger was channeled into the chanting as the numbers continually swelled. Several children and dogs skirted around the legs of the protesters, before being hauled back by watchful parents or owners. A group of middle-aged and well-dressed women carried a banner which stated Las Mujeres Espana Queren Justicia Para La Gente de Palestine (The Spanish women want justice for the people of Palestine). Teenagers were holding another: Israel Genocido, La Solucion No Es Militar (Israeli Genocide, the solution isn’t military). A number of North African men in Islamic dress were displaying another: Paz en Gaza, No Mas Opresion (Peace in Gaza, no more oppression).

The march continued along Calle Trajano towards Plaza Del Duque and past the popular Corte Ingles department store onto Calle Sierpes, the city’s most famous shopping street. As it was Sunday, all the shops were closed but the bars and cafes were all open as customers sat outside enjoying the first warm weather of the year and the odd group of tourists took photos of the continually growing crowds. Plaza Nueve is located at the end of Calle Sierpes and as the procession neared, the noise grew louder and the chanting more defiant, in anticipation of the public rally and the rendezvous with the other marches.

The procession entered into the bright sunshine of Plaza Nueva in full cry and determined to fully express their anger and opposition to the war being waged by Israel. TV crews and tourists alike recorded the events on their cameras. Young and old Spaniards waved Palestinian flags. Muslim women shouted slogans of support. And all the while the chanting continued: Por Palestina, Andalucia (For Palestine, Andalucia) to express Spanish solidarity with the Palestinian cause, Vosotros Zionistas, Solo Terroristas (You Zionists are only terrorists), and from smaller pockets of the crowd Viva La Lucha (Long Live The Fight).

By now the four marches had come together and the few thousand packed the square. They were conducted in continuous chanting by those carrying megaphones as they did a full circuit of the square before coming to a halt in front of the Ayuntamiento. The crowds were addressed by speakers although, with the weakness of the megaphones and the noise of the protestors, most of what was said was inaudible. Yet it didn’t seem to matter. This wasn’t about individuals. It was about the people as a collective standing up and expressing their right to say, “This is wrong”. All that could be said had been in the previous two hours, and eloquently so. For what is the purpose of a demonstration but to unite all walks of life under the premise that “we’re all in this together”. And while Spain may not be a multicultural country like France or England, today was certainly a day that brought them together as, under the blue skies, and amongst the orange trees and palm trees of Plaza Nueva, the people of Seville found their voice.

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