Jerusalem24 – Hundreds of Palestinians, leaders and activists participated in a protest that roamed the streets of Ramallah, yesterday evening, Wednesday, at the invitation of the five democratic forces. The protesters were demanding the strengthening of freedoms, rejection of the political arrest, justice for activist Nizar Banat, as well as the call for general elections.
In his speech during a stand at Al-Manara Roundabout in Ramallah, the Deputy Secretary-General of the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine, Qais Abdel Karim, said, “No one can accuse us of having foreign agendas. We are the ones who built the PLO and defended with their blood the independence of the national decision. We are here to say that it is time to put an end to what we have witnessed during the past days, and to stand together to say that it is time to respect people’s freedoms and rights, and to stop arresting citizens, leaders and academics, and arresting opinion and cultural leaders, poets and writers, and most importantly arresting and insulting the former detainees.”
Abdel Karim continued, “we are still confronting the occupation, and this confrontation calls us for unity by facing this occupation attack aimed at toppling our right to self-determination. The existential danger requires unity from everyone, and unity can only be based on partnership, respect for freedoms and respect for democracy.” .
Abdel Karim added, “we are required to return to the democratic path by holding free and fair elections for all levels of authority and the PLO as soon as possible and before the end of the year. The people must resort to the ballot box.”
He stressed that the demand to hold accountable all those who committed crimes against the Palestinian people and their freedoms, as well as those responsible for the assassination of Nizar Banat, and said, “we saw the formation of an investigation committee that confirmed that the death was unnatural, and we did not see anything after that nor of its circumstances.”
