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From Pamplona to Palestine: San Fermín Launch Honors Gaza
Spain’s iconic San Fermín festival opened with chants of “Free Palestine,” as tens of thousands gathered in Pamplona in a rare show of international solidarity.
Spain’s most internationally renowned celebration, the San Fermín festival, began on Sunday with an unprecedented show of solidarity with Palestine.
As tens of thousands of revelers filled the streets of Pamplona, the traditional chupinazo rocket was launched amid chants of “Long Live Free Palestine.”
According to Spanish media, this year’s opening ceremony was led by Dyna Kharrat, Lidón Soriano, and Eduardo Ibero of Yala Nafarroa, a platform uniting 225 collectives and over 1,700 people from across Navarre.
Chosen by popular vote, the platform was given the honor of lighting the rocket in recognition of its work “against genocide and occupation and for a free Palestine.”
Anti-genocide activists chant for Palestine before the Chupinazo firecracker kicks of Spain's San Fermin Festival. pic.twitter.com/2VNOrvc7Y5
— PALESTINE ONLINE
(@OnlinePalEng) July 6, 2025
As is tradition, the launchers first proclaimed, “Pamplonesas, pamploneses, ¡Viva San Fermín! Iruindarrak, Gora San Fermín!” before turning to the crowd and calling out in Spanish and English: “Free Palestine, long live free Palestine!”
The square erupted in cheers, with thousands echoing the chant as red handkerchiefs fluttered in the wind.
Pamplona’s mayor, Joseba Asirón, described the moment as a powerful reminder that “Pamplona, even at the sweetest time of the year, does not forget that in other parts of the world a real genocide is taking place.”
Euronews reported that solidarity with Palestine was visible throughout the city. Flags and banners draped from balconies carried messages like “Stop genocide,” and large balloons with similar slogans floated above the crowd.
Many of the estimated 25,000 attendees—including thousands of foreign visitors—wore the traditional white clothing with red neckerchiefs, a sea of color that turned the Plaza del Ayuntamiento into a symbolic stage for both celebration and protest.
There were no major incidents reported, and the atmosphere was described as “indescribable” by those present.
The Greatest Hate Crime of All: Gaza in Ruins, the West in Silence
Ongoing Genocide
Since Israel’s reneging on the ceasefire on March 18, it has killed and wounded thousands of Palestinians throughout the Gaza Strip through a bloody and ongoing aerial bombardment.
On October 7, 2023, following a Palestinian Resistance operation in southern Israel, the Israeli military launched a genocidal war against the Palestinians, killing over 57,000, wounding more than 136,000, with over 14,000 still missing.
Despite habitual condemnation by many countries around the world of the Israeli genocide, little has been done to hold Israel accountable.
Israel is currently under investigation for the crime of genocide by the International Court of Justice, while accused war criminals — including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu — are now officially wanted by the International Criminal Court.
The Israeli genocide has been largely defended, supported, and financed by Washington and a few other Western power.
(The Palestine Chronicle)
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