Arab News Japan

TOKYO: Demonstrations were held in Tokyo and Hiroshima on Sunday to demand the end of the blockade of Gaza and to show their support for the March To Gaza and the Sumud Flotilla.

The Tokyo protest took place in Shibuya following the detention of over 500 volunteers from the Samud Flotilla, who were detained in international waters by the Israeli military.

The protesters pointed out that those volunteers were not combatants; they were carrying medical supplies, food, water, and baby formula for the Palestinians in Gaza. The boats they were on were intercepted before they could deliver the aid.

Several of those detained by Israel were subsequently released and shared testimonies describing the brutal treatment they faced, including beatings. Prominent Swedish activist Greta Thunberg was reportedly forced to kneel and kiss the Israeli flag.

Among those captured was a Japanese humanitarian volunteer, YASUMURA Mikako. The protesters demanded that the Japanese government take action to ensure her safe return.

The protesters chanted slogans and held up banners that said, “Silence is complicity,” “The blockade must end,” “The occupation must end,” “Apartheid must end” and “Freedom for Palestine.”

In Hiroshima on the same day, Stop Israel Action organized 200 Hiroshima citizens to show support for Gaza. The marchers included A-bomb survivors, students, Buddhist priests, elders, and children as they proceeded from Hiroshima Station to the Atomic Bomb Dome. 

“We refuse to accept the illusion of ‘Peace’ put forth by corrupt leaders,” they said. “We demand Palestinian liberation for the land and the people – from the river to the sea! We march in solidarity with ALL Freedom Fighters worldwide, from the Freedom Flotilla to Palestine Action to the children in Gaza!”