In front of the entrance, 50 markers were placed in clay with brass plaques bearing the names of deceased Palestinian journalists and authors. In the drizzle, one also read out the names of over 130 fatalities in Gaza and declared them present.
The memorial service was organized by Bread and Roses, a literary society for women and transpersons with members such as Athena Farrokhzad, Burcu Sahin, and Judith Kiros.
We want to show an absence by letting them be present. For this is where they belong. At the site of words and freedom of expression. We want a solemn moment where we honor our colleagues who have been killed, says author Balsam Karam.
Bread and Roses calls the war in Gaza a genocide and the society believes that those honored at the manifestation have fallen victim to war crimes committed by Israel.
That's something that goes beyond the horrors of war. Journalists should be protected and they should be able to report. The effect must be enormous. All articles, all books, all reports that could have been written by those who are no longer here, says Balsam Karam.
