According to the police, between 1,800 and 2,000 demonstrators marched from the Post Mont-Blanc to the Place des Nations. The demonstration took place on the eve of the start of the four-year conference of the UN Organisation for Trade and Development (UNCTAD), which runs until Thursday.

Among the speakers was the French-Palestinian MEP Rima Hassan. She had recently taken part in the Gaza flotilla. Even after the announcement of a ceasefire, the organisers stressed that efforts to achieve justice for the victims must continue. For them, it was essential to“identify those jointly responsible for these crimes”.

Several multinational companies were directly accused for their role in maintaining the occupation, including Chevron, BP, Google, Microsoft, HP, Amazon and Glencore. The UN Special Rapporteur on the Occupied Palestinian Territories, Francesca Albanese, also recently emphasised their involvement in serious violations of international law.

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Speakers called for legal sanctions against Israel, a military embargo, the termination of free trade agreements and the boycott and divestment of complicit companies. They also called for an internationally binding agreement to end the impunity of multinational corporations and the cessation of any public co-operation with these corporations.

The demonstration is part of a global campaign for“an end to the complicity of multinational corporations”. It was supported by a broad coalition of Swiss and international organisations, including movements such as La Via Campesina and the BDS collective (Boycott Divestment Sanctions). Politicians and activists from South Africa, France, Belgium, Colombia and Europe travelled to Geneva.

Translated from German by DeepL/ts