On Sunday, March 10, 2024, a large number of Guyanese gathered at “Cuffy Square” to voice solidarity for Palestine, with former Guyana president Donald Ramotar calling for “the murder in Gaza to stop.”
Thousands of Palestinians, many of them women and children, were killed by Israeli shelling of Gaza for 157 days. Since October 7, Israeli assaults on Gaza have resulted in at least 31,045 Palestinian deaths and 72,654 injuries. 1,139 people have been confirmed killed in Israel as a result of Hamas’s October 7 strikes, and many more are still in detention. Hundreds of Guyanese marched through the city’s streets on March 10th at 7:30 a.m., headed by the Free Palestine organization, carrying banners advocating for a “Ceasefire in Gaza Now.”
- Advertisement -
Others carried signs with expressions “No child should look to the sky and wonder if what’s falling is death or dinner”.
After that, they gathered at the Revolution Square to hear Former President Ramotar speak. “I want to congratulate all of you who are here today on coming out to give your solidarity to what is the most important cause in the world today, stopping the murder of Palestinians and the freedom of the Palestinian people.”
According to Ramotar, Palestinians have been living in an open jail for the past 16 years, and for an actual 75 years. They have, nevertheless, proven their ability to persevere in creating colleges and producing physicians and attorneys. He continued by accusing the Western media of showing the Palestinians in a negative light to justify Israel’s continued persecution of them, including the murder of their women and children.
A Palestinian woman who had lived under tyranny for some time was also present to tell her experience. Even her family had perished in the continuing conflict in the Gaza Strip. “It’s overwhelming and sometimes, I feel completely helpless. My heart bleeds for my uncle; I was only talking to him hours before this terrible incident,” she noted. The Palestinian woman further noted, “he was going to find food for his family when he was killed in the most horrific way possible.” She declared that she was fighting for her people’s independence despite the tragedy. “The last thing I want to remind you is that we will never surrender to an Israeli occupation, we will never give up,” she remarked.
President Irfaan Ali spoke on the ongoing crisis in Gaza during the recent 46th Regular Meeting of the Heads of Government, and he expressed profound worry over the worsening humanitarian situation and bloodshed. President Ali is the new Chair of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM). Ali perused the CARICOM statement, which demanded an instant cessation of hostilities in Gaza. The statement reiterated its denunciation of the bloodshed in Gaza while highlighting the terrible deaths of civilians—including women and children—and the immense suffering brought on by the fighting.
“In this regard, CARICOM urges an immediate and unconditional ceasefire in Gaza and safe and unimpeded access for the delivery of adequate and sustained humanitarian assistance,” said the Chairman. The statement restated CARICOM’s opposition to Hamas assaults and Israeli military breaches of international humanitarian law. To lessen the terrible circumstances that civilians are in, CARICOM again emphasized the critical necessity for humanitarian aid to have unhindered access.
The regional organization emphasized the need to maintain the rule of law and pushed for the release of hostages and detainees detained without charges to their families. It was said, “Israel’s continued and expanding occupation of territory in the occupied West Bank poses a serious and continuing threat to a peaceful, secure and stable world.”
Reiterating its support for a two-state solution based on UN resolutions, CARICOM emphasized the wider ramifications of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Concerned over Israel’s disdain for UN resolutions, the community demanded coordinated measures to guarantee compliance.
“The community therefore calls for a renewed commitment to a peaceful resolution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict through meaningful dialogue and negotiation and calls upon the international community to play a constructive role in facilitating a lasting solution to the conflict and achieving a durable peace that guarantees the human rights, dignity and security of both sides,” Ali noted.
