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A "Palestine Solidarity Days" event began in Istanbul's Eminonu Square with the participation of more than 20 civil society organizations, featuring a charity sale on its first day to raise funds for Gaza. The organizers said the program aims to support the Palestinian people's struggle for freedom, keep what is happening in Gaza from being forgotten and strengthen social solidarity.

The event will continue at the square for five days and is scheduled to run until 1 November, with bazaars, workshops, talks and concerts planned as part of the program.

Joint statement read on behalf of the groups

Ekrem Kubilay Karadeniz, a board member of the Mavi Marmara Association, read a joint statement on behalf of the civil society organizations taking part. Karadeniz said the Palestinian people continue to hold on to their land and their will for freedom despite years of siege and attacks, and that life, hope and resistance go on in Gaza in spite of all the destruction.

"The will this people has shown for years echoes as one of the strongest messages a people that does not give up its freedom can send to the world," Karadeniz said. Karadeniz also cited lines by Palestinian poet Mahmoud Darwish and said Gaza's stance is not only a matter of one geography but of the conscience of humanity.

Keeping what happened in Gaza in memory

Karadeniz said the group's goal is to prevent what has happened in Gaza from being forgotten. "As Palestine's voice grows louder, the truth will reach wider audiences, and as solidarity grows, the call for freedom will echo more strongly," Karadeniz said, adding that members were mobilizing their words, labor and resources to keep the Palestinian people's resistance alive and the demand for freedom on the agenda.

"We are here to give voice to Gaza's resistance, to lend support to Palestine's struggle for freedom and to call on the conscience of humanity," Karadeniz said.

Five days of activities planned

Karadeniz said participants will continue to gather in Eminonu Square for five days as part of the Palestine Solidarity Days. "We see our presence in the square not only as an event but as an effort of solidarity that carries Palestine's voice into every area of life," Karadeniz said, adding that the group uses every opportunity, from bazaars and workshops to talks and concerts, to explain the Palestinian cause.

Karadeniz said the solidarity extends beyond Palestine to oppressed people in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, Arakan, Sudan and Bosnia. "We carried this solidarity yesterday in Uskudar, today in Eminonu, and tomorrow wherever it is needed," Karadeniz said. "We will remain in the squares until Palestine is free and the pain of Gaza is relieved."

Key takeaways

• More than 20 civil society organizations joined the opening of Palestine Solidarity Days at Eminonu Square in Istanbul.
• A charity sale benefiting Gaza was held on the first day of the event.
• Ekrem Kubilay Karadeniz of the Mavi Marmara Association read a joint statement saying life and resistance continue in Gaza.
• The program includes bazaars, workshops, talks and concerts over five days and runs until 1 November.