This Swedish Politician Staged A Powerful Silent Protest Against The War On Gaza During Her EU Speech
47-year-old Abir Al-Sahlani, who was born in Iraq, spent most of her allotted speaking time with one hand over her mouth and holding up the other hand, which was painted red.
A Swedish member of the European Parliament held a powerful silent protest at an EU parliamentary session to protest Israel’s war on Gaza.
47-year-old Abir Al-Sahlani, who was born in Iraq, spent most of her allotted speaking time on Tuesday Feb. 27 with one hand over her mouth and holding up the other hand, which was painted red.
She then addressed the EU Parliament in Strasbourg, France, saying, “there are no more words to speak”.
In her speech, Sahlani said that people who stand with Palestine are portrayed as “anti-semites” to “make it possible to kill more Palestinians.”
“Human rights have a skin color, and the darker you are the less human rights you have,” she added.
Sahlani shared a video of her protest on her social media, writing, “Silence is complicity”.
This isn’t Sahlani’s first time taking a powerful stand for human rights.
In October 2022, she cut off her hair during a speech at the EU assembly in solidarity with anti-government demonstrations in Iran ignited by the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini.
She then pulled out a pair of scissors and proceeded to cut her hair while uttering the words, “Jin, Jiyan, Azadi,” which is Kurdish for “Woman, Life, Freedom” – a slogan that has come to be associated with the protests, which have spread around the world.
More than 29,000 Palestinians have been killed by the ongoing Israeli airstrikes and ground offensive since the beginning of the war on Gaza on Oct. 7.
