Social media stands in solidarity with fallen Palestinian activist, rejects posthumous trial

Published March 13th, 2017 - 10:56 GMT
Palestinian activist and intellectual Basel al-Araj, killed on March 6. [Twitter]
Palestinian activist and intellectual Basel al-Araj, killed on March 6. [Twitter]

Palestinian activist Basel al-Araj, killed in a shootout with Israeli security forces last week, has inspired people across the Middle East and Europe to stand in solidarity for the Palestinian cause. Both social media and the physical world have been alight with passion for what Basel represents to the Palestinians—a slain activist fighting an occupying power.

According to reports on social media, Araj is set to be tried posthumously under the accusation that he was carrying an illegal weapon. This has resulted in several hashtags and phrases used repeatedly to condemn the trial:

We are all Basel al-Araj, the [Israeli] powers are prosecuting the martyr al-Araj for 'carrying an illegal weapon'. 

The Arabic hashtags above, "Prosectute us all" and "Basel is judging you" show solidarity with the fallen Palestinian and imply that even in death, he is holding people accountable and expects them to stand up for what's right. 

Meanwhile, video footage has surfaced that reportedly shows Araj’s father being beaten by Palestinian Authority (PA) police officers:

The fact that Araj is being subject to a posthumous trial has sparked an online campaign across the region and inspired protests across the Middle East. People claim that al Araj’s ‘illegal weapon’ was actually that of intellectuality and culture:

A string of Arabic tweets in support of al-Araj, as well as a drawing depicting him holding a book that he uses as a weapon, defying the accusations that he was an armed millitant.

This Arabic tweet has a schedule of all of the protests around the world against al-Araj's trial: 

The list cites protests and times in eight countries:  Lebanon, Jordan, Egypt, Tunisia, Morocco, England, Austria, and Germany.

Here is an Arabic video that has been circulating facebook with the same idea, showing people from various Palestinian refugee camps in different countries standing up for Araj, as well as Jordan, Tunisia, Lebanon, Egypt, and Iraq:

Note: though there are slight variations in what people say, the main message from everyone is, We are all Basel al-Araj, we all have the weapons of culture and intellect, so prosecute us all. 

In the West Bank, Palestinians are not allowed to possess any type of weapons, whereas Jewish settlers are allowed to carry guns. Additionally, according to Israeli law, throwing stones, one of the few forms of defense readily available to Palestinians, can be punished by up to ten years of imprisonment.

Follow the Loop on Twitter and Facebook

Tags:West BankPalestinian Authority (PA) policeTama De HrizieMohammad AlsaafinBasel ArajBasel al-Araj
Loading content ...

Subscribe

Sign up to our newsletter for exclusive updates and enhanced content
Subscribe Now