Published 17/09/2025 14:43 | Edited 17/09/2025 15:24
Sunday, September 14, 2025, marked the second and last day of manifies, ending the Solidarity Festival with political and cultural intensity. The sun and heat gave the journey a party mood, in which the coexistence between generations mingled with collective engagement, children ran in the toys, young people trained boxers and danced, gentlemen and old ladies walked from side to side, and militants of all ages packed the debate tents. The spirit was of celebration, but especially fighting, and Palestine was at the center of this mobilization.
From an early age, the atmosphere was taken by Palestinian symbols, flags, keffiyehs, t -shirts, stickers, paper boats and caps formed a landscape of colors and messages that resembled the resistance of a people facing decades of oppression. Among these icons, even the uniforms of the Chilean Palestinian appeared, remembering how the sport is also the scene of solidarity and identity. The material presence of these elements was more than aesthetic, translated the participants’ commitment to transform solidarity into everyday and visible practice.
The programming reflected this centrality. At Cinéfiesto Right, the debate “La Palestine Résiste!” He gathered Matilde de Cooman, Ansje Vanbeselaere, Salah Hamouri, Basil Farraj and Mohammed Call. In different languages, Palestinian and Solidarity voices reported the reality of genocide, the hardness of occupation and the firmness of resistance, in a conversation that thrilled and politicized the audience. It was a moment of denunciation and affirmation of hope.
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Shortly thereafter, the Tent MundoFesta received the meeting “Le Group de la Haye: Le Sud Global If Soulève Pour La Palestine!”. Ikram Koudoussi, Marc Botenga, Varsha Gandikota Nellutla and Shahd Hammouri discussed how the global south articulates to denounce colonialism and sustain the Palestinian cause as part of a broader international movement. The debate has shown that Palestine is not just a regional issue, but a universal symbol of liberation struggles.
The force of programming, however, was not restricted to Palestine. The Intal Tent welcomed the debate “Le Congo au Cœur des Luttes Géopolitiques”, with Isabelle Minnon, Marc Botenga and Komeza Maximilien Ngendakumana, bringing out international disputes around African natural resources. At Village Syndical, the “Libertés Syndicales et Services Publics” meeting highlighted the centrality of labor rights as pillars of a healthy democracy. Already the tent Débat received a heavy name like Jeremy Corbyn, former leader of the UK Labor Party and creator of the “Your Party”, along with Mrs Zarah Sultana.
Union internationalism also had space. Still on the worldfesta tent, militants gathered at the “Meeting of Lutte des Syndicalists pour Cuba”, reaffirming support to the socialist island in the face of external pressures. In parallel, there was the “Rencontre between Élus Ouvriers Belges et allemands”, reinforcing the bonds between parliamentarians of the working class of Europe. The variety of themes showed that manifesta is a confluence of struggles, but the tonic of international solidarity remained as a guiding thread.
The day ended with the feeling that manifesta was not just a festival, but a unit construction space. Between laughs of children, quiet steps of gentlemen and ladies, sweat of young athletes, Chilean Palestinian shirts and speeches loaded with emotion and denunciation, it was clear that Palestine was the great protagonist on Sunday. The denunciation of genocide and the appeal to active solidarity marked the collective memory of the event, reminding everyone that resisting is also to celebrate life, and that the struggle of a people for freedom is, in the end, the struggle of all peoples.
Source: vermelho.org.br
