German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock was confronted at an event in Brussels on Monday by protestors calling for a ceasefire in Gaza.
Speaking at an event on feminist foreign policy, organised by Greens/EFA MEPs, Baerbock had just begun her speech when a feminist protestor interrupted her talk to call on the German head of foreign policy to back international calls for a ceasefire.
The first protestor, who interrupted the speech, stated: "As Greens and feminists, we must demand a ceasefire in Palestine right now. Israel has already killed 11,000 people, 67% are women and children. How can you not demand a ceasefire?"
The protestor also mentioned that Germany has given €303 million in weapons to Israel, and added: "The most feminist thing we can do is call for a ceasefire" after referencing the heavy casualties for Palestinian women and children.
Credit: Youtube / Greens-EFA / Hanna Neumann
After the interruption, Baerbock said she would address difficult questions of Israel later on in her speech. "I believe the strength of feminist foreign policy is that we are capable of hearing different positions and that we are capable of listening before we give answers."
Baerbock also labelled the protestor’s call for a ceasefire an "accusation" rather than a "question".
After the protestor was escorted outside by police, a second protestor confronted the German Foreign Minister for a second time for a ceasefire, but Baerbock ignored her again.
Earlier in the day, the Foreign Minister had said on the fringes of the summit to reporters that acknowledging "how the people in Gaza and the West Bank are suffering, how much the people in Israel are suffering who do not yet know where their kidnapped children and women are."
On this, she reiterated the position of Germany, which is reflected at the EU level: "To this, it is crucial that there is a humanitarian pause: as great as the suffering is, so needed is every litre of water and every food parcel," the Foreign Minister said.
"Since the suffering is so immeasurable, specifically in Gaza, it doesn't help to follow impulses - rather the bitter reality is that we only make progress in the smallest steps," Baerbock told reporters in Brussels.
