Palestinian Solidarity Anti-Monument Erected in Mexico City

This article by Daniel López Aguilar appeared in the August 17, 2025 edition of La Jornada, Mexico’s premier left wing daily newspaper.

The Juárez Hemicycle was the scene yesterday of a cultural event in support of peace and Palestinian autonomy.

Members of the Latin American Alliance for Palestine Against Apartheid held the second and final day of the National Meeting of Solidarity with Palestine and the Peoples Resisting Zionism, with a program that combined words, installations, and music in front of dozens of young people and adults.

The event began at 3:30 p.m. with the reading of the political declaration, followed by a statement in honor of the Al Jazeera journalists killed in Gaza. Among the attendees were chants such as: “Enough of the genocide!” and “Supporting Palestine is supporting Mexico!” Young artists intervened in the metal structures surrounding the monument, painting them in the red, green, white, and black of the Mexican flag.

Posters with messages such as “Stop the genocide!”, “Defending Gaza is defending humanity,” and “Neutrality is complicity with the genocide perpetrator” were also distributed, and petition drives were launched demanding the severance of diplomatic relations with Israel.

One of the spokespersons noted that the works they put up are often erased, but that the collective would reinstall them as many times as necessary. “If this happens for the 40th time, we’ll do it again,” he stated, highlighting the persistence of the act in the face of injustice and neglect.

The reading of a poem by Mahmud Darwish (1941-2008), led by editor and poet Hermann Bellinghausen, was one of the most symbolic moments of the event. “This author was an internal refugee and constant migrant; he was imprisoned in his youth,” he said before reciting: “Two birds are speaking above us / Shoot the enemy / What have you done with my mother’s coffee / What was my crime? / You will never be free of me / He embraces his murderer.”

Under a bright sun, an “anti-monument” was unveiled: the fragmented silhouette of Palestine, emblazoned with the phrase “From the river to the sea, Palestine will triumph. Stop the genocide!” The organizers emphasized that these large-scale installations are strategically placed to demand justice, confront indifference, and keep open the wounds of unresolved historical and contemporary events.

Among the dozens in attendance, Alma Calderón, a visual arts student, commented in an interview: “This is the first time I’ve attended something like this, and I felt that poetry and art allow me to understand stories that are often silenced. I’m not entirely familiar with the situation in Palestine, but I’ll research it further.”

For his part, businessman Mario Herrera commented: “Mexico has always been a brother to countries in need, like Palestine. This type of event makes us see reality and prevents us from being indifferent.”

To the sound of pre-Hispanic conch shells, used to “invoke good omens and ask forgiveness from Mother Earth,” the activity concluded with music by singer Nidia Barajas, Julia Castillo, Andrea Murga, and the artistic collective El Cerrojo.