- An urgent protest outside the German Embassy is being held in London at 7 pm this evening, supporting deported British-Palestinian Dr. Ghassan.
- Dr. Ghassan witnessed the Gaza siege aftermath and was due to give his testimony.
An urgent protest is scheduled to take place outside 23 Belgrave Square, SW1X 8PZ (The German Embassy in London) at 7pm this evening. The protest aims to show solidarity with British-Palestinian Doctor Ghassan, who was set to testify about the ongoing atrocities committed by Israel in Gaza. However, Dr. Ghassan was deported back to the UK before he could provide his witness statement.
Dr Ghassan is a globally recognised authority in the field of war-injured patients and children and was recently appointed as the rector of Glasgow University. Furthermore, Dr Ghassan was in Gaza in the immediate wake of October 7th.
His involvement as a medic during Israel’s siege in Gaza led to his citation in South Africa’s genocide case at the International Court of Justice (ICJ).
His quote extracted from the ICJ submission states:
“There was a girl with just her whole body covered in shrapnel. She was nine. I ended up having to change and clean these wounds with no anaesthetic and no analgesic. I managed to find some intravenous paracetamol to give her … her Dad was crying, I was crying, and the poor child was screaming …”
It is estimated hundreds of thousands are participating in the pro-Palestine protest held in central London this afternoon. Protestors call for an immediate ceasefire and for the UK to cease arms sales to Israel. Many are expected to participate in the subsequent demonstration outside the German embassy, expressing their indignation regarding the treatment of Dr. Ghassan.
When will Germany learn?
According to SIPRI, Germany ranks as the second-largest arms supplier to Israel’s military. SIPRI estimates indicate that Israeli imports from German manufacturers constituted approximately 30 percent of its arms acquisitions between 2019 and 2023.
Germany’s military speak of a long-standing sense of historical responsibility felt by German leaders toward Israel, who cite Germany’s “responsibility arising from the Holocaust.”
Since October 7th, Berlin has reported approving the sale of approximately $275 million worth of weapons and military equipment to Israel, as disclosed in a presentation by its foreign ministry’s legal team at the International Court of Justice. The bulk of this assistance, totalling around $218 million, was granted in October.
By providing arms and military equipment to Israel, Germany facilitates violence and oppression against Palestinians. This underscores the stark ethical injustice of arms exports fuelling human rights violations and calls for accountability regarding Germany’s alleged breach of international law and human rights principles.
