Bosmont Muslim school protest in support of the Free Palestine movement in Johannesburg, 9 June 2021. Picture: Nigel Sibanda
On a cold and cloudy Wednesday morning, pupils and teachers from Bosmont Muslim School in Johannesburg staged a protest in solidarity with Palestine.
The protest reaffirmed their support of Palestine amid some of the worst conflict in the region in recent years.
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An 11-day conflict with Israel saw hundreds killed, most of whom were Palestinians, many of them children.
Despite a ceasefire being declared at the end of May, thousands in Gaza are now homeless.
Protests have taken place across South Africa and the world.
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Bosmont Muslim School principal Ibrahim Sallie said the reason for the protest taking place on Wednesday was because it had to be postponed a number of times before.
“It’s a question of solidarity with a cause, a culture and our country consciousness. It’s not political, it’s for schoolchildren to claim ownership of current affairs and global events.
“They hear about our history of protest, struggles and troubles, so this is a good application for them not to just see things from a distance.”
Callie said the children made their own posters and T-shirts and gradually chanted louder as the protest progressed – even those who cannot yet spell or read.
Analysts said the Middle East conflict would unite the geographically fragmented community.
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Palestinians have long demanded their own state, with east Jerusalem as its capital, but for now the community is fragmented, with each part facing a different reality.
“To see every single Palestinian community rise up together, this is extremely rare,” Salem Barahmeh, director of the Palestine Institute for Public Diplomacy, told AFP last month.
“Palestinians in Israel are fighting for their legitimacy, to be part of the political system, part of the decision making in order to lead to a solution to the Palestinian problem.”
Additional reporting by © Agence France-Presse