Appell: Bergen4Palestine (translated to English from the original Norwegian appeal)
B4P joined the global call by The Surge International against Fascism, genocide, war and climate chaos. The main slogans/banner for the demonstration —
- Stop Norway’s complicity and support to the genocide
- Free Palestine
Today, as we stand here, it has been a few days since a ceasefire agreement was negotiated, and on Wednesday evening the agreement became a reality. However, it will not take effect until tomorrow, Sunday. It is unlikely that the Zionists will honor the agreement, as we can see from the intense bombing and mass killings they have carried out in the days since the agreement was announced. At least 122 Palestinians, including 33 children (equivalent to an entire class of schoolchildren), have been killed since the agreement was made public. The Western imperialist countries are doing what they usually do—looking among themselves for the reason the agreement was reached. But let us be clear: it is these countries that built up the Zionist and genocidal state of Israel, and it is they who have supported Israel in its terror against the Palestinians. They have never seen Palestine as an independent state that should be governed on its own terms, nor do they today, and they will never do so as long as imperialism exists.
There is a good reason why Israel felt compelled to enter into a ceasefire agreement, and that reason is the Palestinian people, their steadfastness and resistance, their courage has given strength and inspiration to all the anti-imperialists and anti-fascists around the world to stand with them in their resistance and struggle.
What this agreement first and foremost shows, whether it is upheld or not, is that the people’s resistance always leads to the ruling class becoming afraid—afraid for their existence, because their existence is built on oppression. As people rise up to fight, their existence will collapse.
Our slogans today clearly highlight what imperialism and the ruling class stand for—they stand for what we fight against:
We are against fascism – the imperialist powers use it when they deem it necessary.
We are against genocide – Western imperialists have supported genocide from the very beginning, and we do not need to say October 7, we can say 1948 and even before that.
We are against war – the imperialists are for war, we see it in their actions and in how far they are willing to use their resources. War is used to threaten the working class and to increase the power of the ruling class.
We are against climate chaos – the imperialists do not care about the climate. They believe they can overcome this as well because they see themselves as invincible. If they had taken the climate threat seriously, they would have stopped their wars and ceased the production of war materials. But as we see, they do the opposite. We, the people, have seen through their lies!
Today, we also carry the slogan STOP NORWAY’S SUPPORT FOR GENOCIDE. Through the oil fund, Norway supports Israel’s genocide with at least 155 billion kroner. And if Norway “gives” anything to Palestine, it comes with conditions, and the sum is at most a few hundred million, a fraction of what the genocidal state of Israel can use Norwegian money for without conditions.
Norway must be one of the best countries in the world at pretending to be virtuous. One day a year, we hand out a peace prize, while every single day of the year, we produce and sell ammunition and weapons, some of which have almost certainly ended up in Israel’s hands and been used in genocide against Palestinians. The Norwegian people must become even clearer: there is no honor in producing war material that is used to kill children and other people.
Norway also wants to appear environmentally friendly, but it produces fossil fuel at a pace that is rapidly driving us toward a cliff. The overproduction of fossil energy today contributes to and supports wars and genocides in order to secure high prices for fossil energy and larger profits for the owners, including the Norwegian state.
The hypocritical nature of Norway is clearly visible on the website of the arms manufacturer NAMMO, where they write: “Nammo will always promote human and labor rights. We are committed to protecting the environment and conducting business in a transparent and responsible manner.” End quote.
The war industry can never promote workers’ rights; war is based on killing the working class, and the war industry can never protect the environment. War is the most environmentally destructive thing there is. When Israel commits genocide in Palestine, the environmental damage will primarily affect Palestine and its people, but the rest of the world will also suffer as a result of such large-scale terrorist attacks on people and the environment.
It will always be the people against the imperialist powers in the fight to liberate Palestine. We see this struggle more and more clearly. In this fight, we must not let ourselves be tricked into participating in the imperialists’ wars and let ourselves be killed for their interests.
Joe Biden stated in connection with the ceasefire, “Our enemies are weakened and our friends are strengthened.” When Biden speaks of friends, he is referring to Israel and other allies, and “enemies” therefore means anyone who stands against Israel’s genocide. Biden and Trump’s enemies are everywhere. It is not only the Palestinian resistance that is their enemy; their enemies are in the USA, in Europe, in Norway, and here in Torgalmenningen in Bergen. For all who want peace and a free Palestine, they are enemies in Biden and Trump’s eyes. Power and genocide are used against the resistance in Palestine, and power is also used against resistance in the imperialist countries themselves.
It will always be the people against the imperialist powers in the fight to liberate Palestine. We see this struggle more and more clearly. In this fight, we must not let ourselves be tricked into participating in the imperialists’ wars and let ourselves be killed for their interests.
We fight our fight for a free Palestine, from the river to the sea, and we call on those who have not yet joined the struggle to come forward, and we thank those who have stood and are standing in it. ONWARD!
Today, we in Bergen4Palestine extend our deep gratitude to the Palestinian resistance and their supporters, who, through their struggle, forced Israel to at least put a ceasefire agreement on paper.
Knus Fascismen!
Fritt Palestina!!