More than 200 empty chairs stand for Hamas hostages
On the Jewish holiday of Shabbat, people gathered in Düsseldorf to remember the hostages kidnapped by the Islamist group Hamas. There were more than 200 chairs at a table set with glasses, plates and candles on Gustaf-Gründgens-Platz in front of the Schauspielhaus. They remained empty. On most of them were notes with pictures and names of people who had been deported to the Gaza Strip after the Hamas attack on Israel on October 7.
"We will probably repeat this action and organize other demonstrations to draw attention to the atrocities that happened to these people," explained Oded Horowitz, chairman of the Jewish community in Düsseldorf. The initiative for the vigil was taken by citizens of the city who approached the community.
Similar solidarity actions had already taken place in Tel Aviv, Berlin and Zurich, among other places. A large poster with the slogan "Bring them home now" also displayed photos of hostages in the NRW state parliament.
Despite the ongoing conflicts in the Middle East, particularly between Hamas and Israel, demonstrations continued to highlight the plight of hostages. These demonstrations, including the one in Düsseldorf, aim to put pressure on Hamas to release the Jewish hostages they have been holding, a situation that has escalated tensions within Judaism worldwide.
Source: www.dpa.com
