PN MP to boycott parliament's holocaust remembrance in solidarity with Palestine
'I cannot in good conscience remember the past while forgetting the present' - Albert Buttigieg
PN MP Albert Buttigieg will boycott a holocaust remembrance in parliament on Monday evening in a symbolic act of support towards the suffering of the Palestinian people.
Parliament will pause to mark the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz this evening, paying tribute to the victims of the holocaust in which six million European Jews were killed.
But Buttigieg will be sitting out the session, he told Times of Malta, adding that he wanted to send a message about the suffering of Palestinians.
“While we are right to remember the suffering of the Jewish people 80 years ago, it is ironic that we now close our eyes to the suffering of other people,” he said.
While condemning the "unjustifiable" actions by Hamas, Buttigieg pointed to the long-standing conflict in Gaza and the West Bank, saying that “the Palestinian people have been the victims of aggression for several years”.
He explained that his action was“not a protest but a message” that he was carrying out in the name of “consistency”.
While “I cannot in good conscience remember the past while forgetting the present,” Buttigieg said.
Palestinian authorities estimate that the Israeli assault on Gaza in the wake of the Hamas’ 7 October attacks claimed the lives of over 46,000 people, half of them believed to be women, children or elderly people.
Israel and Hamas agreed on a long-awaited ceasefire deal which would see some 737 Palestinian and 33 Israeli hostages released earlier this month, finally bringing the conflict to a temporary halt.