WATCH: Durbanites march for the Global Day of Action for Gaza
The march was organised by the United for Palestine coalition group.
HUNDREDS of people took to the streets of Durban on Saturday to show their support for the ending of the war in Gaza.
The march, which started at Essenwood Park, comes a day after South Africa appeared at the International Court of Justice (ICJ), in The Hague, charging Israel with committing genocide in Gaza.
On Thursday and Friday, the court heard arguments from both sides and will decide whether to issue an interim order that Israel stops its bombardment of Gaza.
However, while decisions by the court are binding, they are not always followed. Russia, for example, has still not obeyed a 2022 ICJ order that it halt its invasion of Ukraine.
Also Read: March calls for ceasefire
Protesters yelled chants of ‘free, free Palestine’ as the death toll continues to climb in the conflict between Israel and Hamas.
This is one of several protests that have been held in various parts of Durban after almost 24 000 Palestinians (both in the West Bank and Gaza) have been killed while more than 1 100 Israelis were killed in the October 7 attacks by Hamas.
The march was organised by the United for Palestine coalition group, and according to Lubna Nabdi, an academic at the University of KwaZulu-Natal, and a member of the KwaZulu-Natal Palestine Solidarity Forum and the Active Citizens Movement, two sister coalition groups of United for Palestine, the march forms part of the Global Day of Action for Gaza.
Also Read: South Africa calls for a ceasefire
The Global Day of Action for Gaza was called by the UK-organising coalition comprised of the Palestine Solidarity Campaign, Palestinian Forum in Britain, Stop the War Coalition, Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament, Friends of Al Aqsa and the Muslim Association of Britain.
People will be marching to show their opposition to Israel’s bombardment of the Gaza Strip in more than 66 cities, in at least 36 countries and across six continents.
“Cities and countries across the world are participating in this day of action. We are still calling for a ceasefire in Gaza. This is not the first form of protest people have gathered for; we have held smaller pickets and there have been major marches. There are also various religious and inter-faith organisations involved. This is the most urgent and the most important human rights issue of our time,” said Nabdi.
The march started at Essenwood Park at 13:30, and the group moved along Stephen Dlamini Road (Essenwood Road) through the Overport and Musgrave areas.
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