Palestine support events to Kaap aan

While the woeste weer and safety concerns saw the cancellation of the World Keffiyeh Day silent protest in Sea Point at the weekend, shows of support for Palestine have been scheduled to take place across the City this week.

The silent human chain event, which was organised by Cape Town Intifada and Deep South For Palestine, was set to take place at 2pm on Sunday but was cancelled due to safety concerns.

Palestine Solidarity Campaign (PSC) chairperson Jaamia Galant said World Keffiyeh Day is used to mark the iconic black-and-white scarf which embodies Palestinian resistance, resilience and global solidarity.

Galant says: “Worn worldwide, the keffiyeh is a visual protest against Israel’s ongoing genocide in Gaza and its apartheid regime in the West Bank.

“A symbol of unbroken resistance, the keffiyeh’s threads weave a story of displacement and defiance.

“Born from the Palestinian struggle, it became a global emblem of solidarity after the 1948 Nakba – the catastrophic ethnic cleansing of over 700 000 Palestinians from their homeland.

“Today, as Israel’s bombardment kills over 50 000 Palestinians in Gaza and displaces 1.9 million, the keffiyeh reminds us that oppression is live-streamed genocide.”

Plans are under way for the 77th commemoration of the Nakba on Thursday, 15 May.  

Galant added that the PSC is inviting people to join on Saturday, 18 May 2025 at 12 noon at the Castle of Good Hope

ANC Deputy secretary-general Nomvula Mokonyane says: “As the world anticipates the 77th anniversary of the Nakba, we wear our keffiyehs as a sign of resistance to oppression but also as a symbol of hope for freedom.

“As we wear our keffiyehs and mark Nakba Day on May 15, we continue to think of the suffering of millions of Palestinians.

Good Party secretary-general Brett Herron adds: “The world is witnessing atrocious ethnic cleansing and genocide without doing enough to end it. 

“Multilateral mechanisms, like the United Nations and its courts, established to ensure that the world never experiences the kind of political movements that led to World War have been rendered impotent by member states who have acted selectively in their commitment to basic human rights and sovereignty.”