Gaza aid flotilla activists burn prison uniforms outside Israeli consulate in Barcelona

Some activists who participated in the Gaza aid flotilla staged a protest on Monday night outside the Israeli consulate in Barcelona ahead of Wednesday's strike for Palestine.

Around 200 people attended the protest, during which the activists burned the prison uniforms they had worn while being held by Israel after being detained at sea while approaching Gaza.

Protesters blocked Gran Via de Carles III, carrying a banner reading 'October 15, General Strike', before stopping outside the consulate where they set fire to a pile of prison uniforms using flares and petrol.

"Fake peace deal"

The crowd included several activists who took part in the flotilla, including members of far-left pro-independence CUP, Adrià Plazas and Pilar Castillejo; IAC-Catac trade unionists Ariadna Masmitjà and Eduard Lucas; the well-known retired bus driver and CGT union member Saturnino Mercader; and the leader of the Poble-sec Neighborhood Union, Francisco Rodríguez.

"Some of us spent between four days and more than a week in prison," said Adrià Plazas, adding that "unfortunately, these are the circumstances the Palestinian people have experienced every day for decades."

Plazas voiced her skepticism of the summit of world leaders in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, which is meant to formalize the end of hostilities between Israel and Hamas. "History shows that there are often dramatic shifts, and until something is actually signed, we believe we must continue with the strike," he said.

In the same vein, activist Sofia Peris called for maintaining "the focus" on Palestine because, in her view, this is all part of a strategy to deceive the public with "a fake peace deal that doesn't hold up."

Peris urged people to take part in the strike planned for Wednesday and to join the protest to be held in Manresa, over the basketball game between Baxi Manresa and Hapoel Jerusalem.

"We must keep fighting for the true freedom of the Palestinian people and to ensure that the perpetrators of genocide face the consequences they deserve," she said.