Ruptly
"Hundreds of protesters marched through Rotterdam on Sunday in support of Al-Aqsa Mosque, as Israeli authorities kept the site closed for the 37th consecutive day, citing security conditions. Footage shows crowds holding signs such as 'Al-Aqsa is ours, hands off Al-Aqsa,' 'Open Al-Aqsa now!’ and waving Palestinian flags, while chanting slogans. Police could be seen guarding the site, with at least one protester injured during the rally. "I just want everyone to be able to live free. And when it comes to my religion, closing down the Al-Aqsa will not shake my religion, but it will strengthen my religion in the best way it can be. It will bring us more together," said Razia, one of the demonstrators. Another protester shared that, for her, Al-Aqsa is the most blessed place on earth, calling for action. "We never see such a kind of closure this long since the crusade times. And we as a Ummah should do something. And as a family, we feel that this is the smallest amount - thing we can do - to come here and to speak up about the closure of Al-Aqsa." "It is stupid that they are closing the Al-Aqsa Mosque because every person on earth deserves to have a place, a holy place to do their prayers. I don't care if it's a synagogue, I don't care if it's a church or a mosque, but every person in the world deserves that," stressed a marcher. He also added that neither the Netherlands nor Germany "show no courage to tell Israel to stop, to stop the genocide, to stop the apartheid, to stop what they do now. I am really embarrassed that it is my government who is doing such a horrible thing by being silent." Israeli authorities stated the measure is temporary and was imposed due to 'emergency status' and the risk of missile attacks linked to the ongoing war with Iran. In March, a group of eight countries, including Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Egypt, Turkey and Indonesia, issued a joint diplomatic protest, describing the closure as 'illegal and unjustified'. The decision was also criticised by international organisations such as the United Nations Alliance of Civilisations (UNAOC) and the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), which condemned the shutdown as a 'grave violation' of religious freedom."
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