The hundreds of thousands who gathered on Istanbul’s Galata Bridge on Thursday took a historic stand in solidarity with Palestine, pledging to continue their struggle until Gaza, Jerusalem, and the Al-Aqsa Mosque are free, said a Turkish civic leader at the massive event.
“Together with hundreds of thousands on Galata Bridge, we are writing this into history: we will not cower, we will not keep quiet, and we will not forget Palestine or allow it to be forgotten,” said Bilal Erdogan, chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Ilim Yayma Foundation, a group that promotes education and scholarly research.
Quoting the late Bosnian leader Alija Izetbegovic, he added: “A forgotten genocide is doomed to be repeated.”
The demonstration, organized by the Humanity Alliance and the National Will Platform under the slogan “We won’t cower, we won’t keep quiet, we won’t forget Palestine,” brought together more than 400 civil society groups. Participants gathered on the first morning of the new year to call for an end to the killings in Palestine.
Before the march, citizens convened at major mosques across Istanbul, including Hagia Sophia Grand Mosque, Sultanahmet, Fatih, Suleymaniye, and Eminonu New Mosque. Many attendees carried Turkish and Palestinian flags while offering prayers in mosque courtyards.