"No Stage for Genocide": Palestinian Ambassador Salah Abdel Shafi Addresses Mass Demonstration in Vienna
2026-05-16
On Saturday, May 16, 2026, thousands gathered in Vienna for a massive solidarity demonstration under the banner "No Stage for Legitimizing Genocide – Freedom for Palestine." Organized by a broad coalition involving many Palestinian institutions and Austrian and international solidarity groups, protesters marched from Christian-Broder-Platz to Ludo-Hartmann-Platz. The demonstration explicitly protested the normalization of the occupation through global cultural platforms like the Eurovision Song Contest and demanded an immediate end to Austrian and European complicity.
The Palestinian Ambassador Salah Abdel Shafi delivered an opening speech, in which he stated:
Keynote Speech by Ambassador Salah Abdel Shafi:
"Dear friends, Israel's participation in the European Eurovision Song Contest is an attempt to normalize genocide. This represents a moral decline for Europe—to offer a stage to a country that commits genocide, a country that has been carrying out ethnic cleansing since 1948. Yesterday, by the way, marked the 78th anniversary of the beginning of the Nakba. We are speaking of a country that enacts the death penalty exclusively for Palestinians; a country that murders women and children daily—and yet, such a country is handed a global stage.
Dear friends, the atrocities committed by Israel have never shocked us as Palestinians. What shocks us is the stance of Europe and the world, and the fact that Israel is never held accountable. Art, culture, and music can never be neutral. Culture and music carry a message—a humanistic message. Therefore, inviting Israel is an insult to art, to culture, to music, and to humanity itself. That is exactly why we raise our voices. We are united for peace, united for humanity.
But we do not stand for genocide, we do not stand for ethnic cleansing! This hypocrisy must come to an end. The European Union has not even managed to suspend the Association Agreement with Israel, even though Article 2 of this agreement clearly states that if a country does not respect international law, the agreement must be suspended. And why? Because countries within the EU are blocking it. Ironically, the very countries of the perpetrators, who committed one of the greatest crimes in history—the Holocaust—are the ones preventing Israel from being held accountable.
As I mentioned earlier, the beginning of the Nakba marked its 78th anniversary. The Nakba—the catastrophe, the expulsion of the Palestinian people from their homeland—was one chapter. What we are witnessing today is the most brutal chapter in recent history. This is a genocide that is precisely documented. No one—absolutely no one—can claim, 'We did not know.' Back then, during the Holocaust, many said, 'We did not know.' Today, no one can make that claim. Everything is documented. We see it every single day on social media, in the news, and on our screens. The genocide is brought into our homes daily. One day, the children and grandchildren of these politicians will ask them: 'Where were you? Where were you when a genocide was taking place?'
Let us remember that the convention against genocide is built on prevention. It is about preventing it. It is not about waiting until the genocide is over before taking action. We must intervene now to bring this slaughter to an end. Therefore, keep raising your voices! Stay on the streets, because you are the people! All power comes from the people. And this is not just about Palestine; it is not just about Gaza. It is about a world where we are witnessing the end of the so-called 'rules-based international order.' It started in Gaza, and the world tolerated this terror. It continued into Lebanon, into Iran, and potentially tomorrow in Cuba—and God knows where else it will go if we remain silent. We must not stay silent; we must raise our voices!
Let me also add that the genocide in Gaza has unmasked many things. The talk of freedom of the press and freedom of speech in Europe has proven to be a massive lie. Human rights activists in Austria are being persecuted simply for speaking their minds. The media in Germany spent ten times more airtime discussing a stranded whale than they did reporting on the murder of children and women in Gaza. Where are we? Is this what freedom of the press looks like? I repeat: this is no longer just about Palestine or Gaza; it is about the future of humanity. If Israel continues to evade accountability, other countries will follow.
In conclusion, despite everything, we will never lose hope. We never doubt that one day Palestine will be free; that we will stand proudly as a free nation among all freedom-loving peoples of the world. That day will come, of that we have no doubt. Long live freedom! Free Palestine, free!"
Video of the full speech:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nY6grhKc5_Q
The Palestinian Ambassador Salah Abdel Shafi delivered an opening speech, in which he stated:
Keynote Speech by Ambassador Salah Abdel Shafi:
"Dear friends, Israel's participation in the European Eurovision Song Contest is an attempt to normalize genocide. This represents a moral decline for Europe—to offer a stage to a country that commits genocide, a country that has been carrying out ethnic cleansing since 1948. Yesterday, by the way, marked the 78th anniversary of the beginning of the Nakba. We are speaking of a country that enacts the death penalty exclusively for Palestinians; a country that murders women and children daily—and yet, such a country is handed a global stage.
Dear friends, the atrocities committed by Israel have never shocked us as Palestinians. What shocks us is the stance of Europe and the world, and the fact that Israel is never held accountable. Art, culture, and music can never be neutral. Culture and music carry a message—a humanistic message. Therefore, inviting Israel is an insult to art, to culture, to music, and to humanity itself. That is exactly why we raise our voices. We are united for peace, united for humanity.
But we do not stand for genocide, we do not stand for ethnic cleansing! This hypocrisy must come to an end. The European Union has not even managed to suspend the Association Agreement with Israel, even though Article 2 of this agreement clearly states that if a country does not respect international law, the agreement must be suspended. And why? Because countries within the EU are blocking it. Ironically, the very countries of the perpetrators, who committed one of the greatest crimes in history—the Holocaust—are the ones preventing Israel from being held accountable.
As I mentioned earlier, the beginning of the Nakba marked its 78th anniversary. The Nakba—the catastrophe, the expulsion of the Palestinian people from their homeland—was one chapter. What we are witnessing today is the most brutal chapter in recent history. This is a genocide that is precisely documented. No one—absolutely no one—can claim, 'We did not know.' Back then, during the Holocaust, many said, 'We did not know.' Today, no one can make that claim. Everything is documented. We see it every single day on social media, in the news, and on our screens. The genocide is brought into our homes daily. One day, the children and grandchildren of these politicians will ask them: 'Where were you? Where were you when a genocide was taking place?'
Let us remember that the convention against genocide is built on prevention. It is about preventing it. It is not about waiting until the genocide is over before taking action. We must intervene now to bring this slaughter to an end. Therefore, keep raising your voices! Stay on the streets, because you are the people! All power comes from the people. And this is not just about Palestine; it is not just about Gaza. It is about a world where we are witnessing the end of the so-called 'rules-based international order.' It started in Gaza, and the world tolerated this terror. It continued into Lebanon, into Iran, and potentially tomorrow in Cuba—and God knows where else it will go if we remain silent. We must not stay silent; we must raise our voices!
Let me also add that the genocide in Gaza has unmasked many things. The talk of freedom of the press and freedom of speech in Europe has proven to be a massive lie. Human rights activists in Austria are being persecuted simply for speaking their minds. The media in Germany spent ten times more airtime discussing a stranded whale than they did reporting on the murder of children and women in Gaza. Where are we? Is this what freedom of the press looks like? I repeat: this is no longer just about Palestine or Gaza; it is about the future of humanity. If Israel continues to evade accountability, other countries will follow.
In conclusion, despite everything, we will never lose hope. We never doubt that one day Palestine will be free; that we will stand proudly as a free nation among all freedom-loving peoples of the world. That day will come, of that we have no doubt. Long live freedom! Free Palestine, free!"
Video of the full speech:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nY6grhKc5_Q