SXM in Solidarity With Palestine: Call for action on global injustice

GREAT BAY--Approximately 40 persons gathered in front of the Courthouse in Philipsburg on April 17 in solidarity with the global Red Ribbon Campaign in support of the people of Palestine, while also issuing a broader call for action against global suffering, injustice, exploitation, and war.

The gathering, organized by SXM in Solidarity With Palestine, was intended not only as an expression of support for Palestinians, but also as a platform to highlight what organizers described as interconnected global crises affecting communities across multiple regions of the world.

According to the organizers, the event was designed to draw attention to the urgent human cost of conflict and oppression, while encouraging greater public awareness, solidarity, and organized action.

As part of the demonstration, participants assembled around symbolic gallows, from which a Keffiyeh was hung to represent what organizers described as the targeting of Palestinians through death sentencing. The location of the gathering, directly in front of the St. Maarten Courthouse, was also deliberately chosen as a symbolic appeal for global justice. Attendees were invited to write messages of solidarity, which organizers indicated would later be shared on the social media platforms of SXM in Solidarity With Palestine.

Organizers used the event to voice concern over what they described as a worsening situation for Palestinians. They pointed to a recently approved Israeli death penalty measure which, they stated, in practice applies to Palestinians accused of “denying Israel’s existence.” They noted that various human rights organizations have already raised concerns about the law and characterized it as part of a longer pattern of exclusion and oppression faced by the Palestinian people.

The group also cited detention figures affecting Palestinians, stating that more than 9,100 Palestinians are currently being held, including 3,544 without charge or trial, among them women and hundreds of children. Organizers further claimed that since October 2023, more than 18,500 Palestinians have faced harsh detention conditions, including widespread torture, which they described as a calculated policy of oppression.

While Palestine remained central to the gathering, organizers stressed that the event was also meant to address broader global suffering. They drew attention to the situation in Sudan, which they said has been gripped by horrific violence for the past three years. According to the organizers, the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), backed by the United Arab Emirates, have aggressively seized control of Sudan’s natural resources, especially gold, at the expense of human life, while indigenous populations continue to face brutal killings and displacement in what they described as an ongoing genocide.

The gathering also highlighted conditions in Congo, where organizers said the country’s vast mineral wealth continues to exist alongside severe labor exploitation and widespread human rights violations. They pointed in particular to the exploitation of children in dangerous mining conditions, arguing that Congo remains one of the clearest examples of how natural wealth can be extracted while the local population sees little benefit and continues to suffer from conflict and poverty.

Closer to the Caribbean and Latin America, organizers raised concerns about Venezuela and Cuba. They alleged that Venezuela’s president had been abducted by foreign powers as part of a regime change effort, and stated that Cuba continues to suffer under a U.S.-induced oil blockade that has triggered energy collapse and economic paralysis, worsening conditions for the Cuban people. Organizers argued that these situations go beyond national borders and have implications for regional stability and economic conditions.

The event also focused on the wider violence in South-West Asia, commonly referred to as the Middle East. Organizers referred to a February attack by the United States on a girls’ school, which they said resulted in the deaths of around 160 people, mostly young girls. They also pointed to continued Israeli bombardment in Southern Lebanon, which they said has displaced 1.2 million people and killed more than 2,000, creating what they described as a new Gaza-like crisis. In addition, organizers argued that the supposed ceasefire in Gaza has been repeatedly broken by ongoing killings, including the deaths of children, and maintained that there can be no peace while such violence continues.

Speakers at the gathering emphasized that the people of St. Maarten are not untouched by these international crises. They noted that families from conflict zones are living in St. Maarten and that global developments have direct local consequences, including rising gas prices linked to the oil crisis. Organizers stressed that ignoring these issues is not an option, arguing that the effects of global instability inevitably reach local communities.

The central message of the gathering was that solidarity must go beyond words. While organizers acknowledged the importance of speaking out against injustice, they also argued that appeals to leaders alone are insufficient when systems of exploitation remain in place. They called instead for organized, structured movements capable of challenging what they described as entrenched oppressive systems.

According to the organizers, the crises in Gaza, Lebanon, Sudan, and Congo all point to the failure of the current global system. They argued that a small group of elites driven by economic gain and exploitation continues to control global power structures, often without regard for ethnicity, religion, or human dignity.

SXM in Solidarity With Palestine said the path forward must include organization, education, and sustained pressure for systemic change. The group maintained that only through collective and informed action can a more just, humane, and equitable future be built.

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