Ruptly
"Dozens joined a protest to mark Palestinian Prisoners’ Day in Rotterdam on Friday, to speak out against new Israeli legislation introducing the death penalty for those convicted of deadly terror attacks. Footage shows a group of protesters wearing a symbolic blindfold and chains leading the procession. March participants can be seen chanting pro-Palestinian slogans and carrying Palestinian flags and signs with such messages as ‘Identity = Death sentence’ and ‘Silence locks the chains’. “A huge percentage of people killed. Everybody supporting Israel says this is not genocide, it's just a small number. 100,000. 100,000 women and children, mostly,” one of the protesters, Abdulkarim, said. “This is just offensive. It's not defensive. Killing, bombing hospitals, bombing apartment buildings, bombing schools, bombing churches, bombing mosques.” The procession made several stops near franchises including McDonald's and Zara, where they performed scenes of violence, torture and hanging of Gaza residents. Established in 1974, Palestinian Prisoners’ Day is observed annually on April 17. This year, demonstrations in support of Palestinian prisoners were held across the world, including London, New York, Gaza City and Bethlehem. The protests come after Israel advanced legislation introducing the death penalty for certain offences tried in military courts. The law applies to individuals accused of carrying out attacks with the intent of harming the state. The measure has drawn criticism from several Arab countries, the United Nations, the European Union and human rights organisations. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has defended it as necessary to strengthen deterrence. According to Palestinian sources, more than 9,600 detainees are currently held in Israeli prisons, including women and children, with a significant number held without charge under administrative detention."
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