There has been uproar across the globe, particularly in the past one month, in the wake of the brutalities being faced by the residents of the Sheikh Jarrah neighbourhood in East Jerusalem and in Gaza. Tens of thousands of people have come out in the streets during an ongoing pandemic, from over 100 cities, to participate in protests in solidarity with Palestine. In Pakistan, we’ve already seen demonstrations in Karachi, Lahore, Multan, Faisalabad and Islamabad.

On May 17, a protest was held outside the Press Club in Islamabad, which was followed by a march in Sector F-6 that went up to the Democracy Chowk, more commonly referred to as D-Chowk. Hundreds of protesters raised their voices and placards in solidarity and to ask the government into taking a more meaningful stand on the issue.

The privately organised Islamabad Press Club (IPC) protest was addressed by human rights activist Tahira Abdullah. She spoke of how the world has chosen to be mere spectators of horrific scenes of deliberate killings of innocent civilians. She demanded the UN to recognise this as genocide.

Abdullah also asked citizens to support the global BDS (boycott, divestment,sanctions) movement, and urged the global media to report the truth.

Several banners called for a ban on multinationals that share profits with Israeli stakeholders, urging consumers to shift to local alternatives.

“It’s literally up to us civilians to take it up,” said Arooba Ahsan, a protester. “No one is talking about it globally. […] Protests like these have influenced the Black Lives Matter movement, the anti-Apartheid movement in South Africa.”

While several public figures around the world have been vocal about the barbarism — including the likes of Mark Ruffalo, Bella Hadid and Zayn Malik — many, like Rihana, have also chosen to be vague or disrespectful. Malala Yousafzai disappointed some of her Pakistani fans when she called it a “conflict” in her tweets.

The accounts of many people who are trying to raise consciousness on the issue are being shadow-banned on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook. Protester Eman Omer said she had participated in the demonstration to keep the news cycle running, despite cyber censorship.

The Islamabad rallies were attended by many celebrities. They included actor Hania Aamir, blogger and actor Waliya Najib, musician Haider Mustehsan and social media sensation Dananeer Mobeen. Mobeen, better known as the “Parrty ho rahi hai girl,” said that she was now using her Instagram account (which boasts a following of over a million) to raise awareness on the issue. “I believe these protests shall have a real impact,” she said. “I’m here to do more than just follow up on our social media posts. I’m here to talk about changing the narrative on Palestine. It’s not a conflict. It’s ethnic cleansing,” she said.

There are two more protests scheduled to take place in the capital city. At the emergency meeting held by the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), Pakistan has vehemently reiterated its stance on showing support publicly. Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi noted how the indiscriminate use of force by the Israeli armed forces against a defenceless Palestine violates all international law. He said the false equivalence between the oppressor and victims is inexcusable.

The author is an Islamabad-based journalist, a budding filmmaker and the writer-director of an in-the-works web series