STOCKHOLM, SWEDEN - JULY 12, 2025: In Stockholm, Sweden’s capital, hundreds of people took to the streets on Saturday, July 12, to protest the government's silence regarding Israel’s occupation of Gaza. Gathering at Odenplan Square in response to a call by civil society organizations, the protesters urged the Swedish government to take immediate action to immediately stop the war crimes committed by Israel in the besieged enclave. During the protest, which highlighted the government’s continued silence on the Israeli occupation of Gaza, demonstrators carried banners reading “Children are being killed in Gaza,” “Schools and hospitals are being bombed,” and “End the food shortage.” They also chanted slogans such as “Freedom for Palestine” and “Murderer Netanyahu.” Protesters later marched to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to deliver their message more directly. Australian activist Damian Ridgwell, who took part in the protest, told Anadolu that the Palestine Action Group has helped organize numerous protests in Sydney against Israel's genocide. “We're part of a global movement to fight against the Zionist genocide in Gaza and for a free Palestine. From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free,” Ridgwell said. Aydin Amir Hashimi, a Swedish activist of Azerbaijani origin, said he has been targeted by Swedish media for participating in pro-Palestine demonstrations over the past two years. Hashimi, a civil servant, explained that due to his outspoken support for Palestine — expressed within the legal framework of Sweden’s freedom of expression — the country’s largest newspaper, Dagens Nyheter, called for his dismissal. “They are trying to intimidate civil servants and employers so they won’t speak out against the ongoing genocide in Palestine,” Hashimi said. “But this will not silence us.” Emphasizing the importance of standing firm, he encouraged others in Sweden to resist media pressure and continue exercising their right to protest. Writing by Ayse Elif Erdis