Introduction to the Protest
A press conference was held at the 82nd Film Festival Venice to announce a march that will take place this Saturday at the Lido. The march aims to raise awareness about the treatment of Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank of Israel. Supporters sang and waved Palestinian flags, chanting "Free, Free Palestine" and "Stop, Stop Völkermur" before a spokeswoman addressed the media.
The Humanitarian Crisis in Gaza
The deteriorating humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip will be the focus of the festival. Hundreds of local political and basic organizations have announced that they will participate in the protest, which is not part of the Biennale. The organizers wrote: "At a time when the eyes of the world are directed to Venice and at the film festival, we have the duty of being heard the voices of everyone who are outraged and rebellious."
The Intention of the March
The intention of the march is to "throw the headlight of the film festival in the right direction". The spokeswoman, Martina Gustano, said that the "appeal procedure is extremely widespread" with "hundreds of signatures from political groups, associations and groups from the Veneti region, but also far beyond." She noticed that there will be a motorboat on Saturday, which will travel from Marghera, "so that even those who do not come from Venice can reach the film festival together."
The Response from the Biennale and the Festival
The Biennale and the Festival responded to an open letter signed by hundreds of Italian cinema professionals, which demanded that they "be courageous and clearer when it comes to convicting the continuing genocide in Gaza and ethnic cleansing in the government and the army." The Biennale and the Festival answered that in their entire history, they were always "places open discussion and sensitivity in relation to the most urgent questions of society and the world". They quoted the selection for the main competition of films that address the issue, such as "The voice of the Hind Rajab" and "From dogs and men".
The Context of the Conflict
The Venice Film Festival begins six weeks before the second anniversary of the Hamas terrorist attacks on South Israel on October 7, 2023, in which 1,200 people were killed and 251 hostages. At least 61,000 people who live in the Gaza Strip have died in the subsequent military campaign of Israel, which aims to erase Hamas and restore the hostages. Israel said that accusations of the genocide are "unfounded" because the country does not act with "intention". However, leading human rights groups in Israel, B’tselem and Doctors for Human Rights, countered that Israel "conducts a clear, intentional attack on civilians to destroy a group".
