We of the Socialist Party of Nigeria (SPN)
condemn in the strongest terms the brutal repression by the Nigerian army of
protests in Zaria and Kaduna against the ongoing massacre in Gaza by the Israeli
state. We denounce the killing of supporters and children of Islamic cleric, Ibrahim El- Zakzaky who held the protest march in Zaria.
According to media reports, 35 followers of the El-Zakzaky were killed by the
soldiers. A similar protest in Kaduna was massively repressed.
While there was an attempt by a section of the
media to connote the entire affair as a “violent clash”, the glaring fact that
the followers of El-Zakzaky were not armed makes it a classic case of
repression. To us in the SPN, we deplore the attempt to use the excuse of
fighting terrorism to clampdown on democratic rights including legitimate and
peaceful protests.
We should also recall that a similar strong-arm
approach including extra-judicial murder of Muhammed Yusuff, the founder of
Boko Haram Islamist sect, contributed immensely to the degeneration of a
containable security situation into a full-blown terrorist insurgency and
activities.
There are also media reports that El-Zakzaky is
renowned for regular preaching against activities and pronouncement of Boko
Haram terrorist group. This means that
his group cannot be linked with Boko Haram activities and the protest, which
was just a part of an annual Shiite ceremony, was repressed because it was
against Israel.
We call for the arrest and prosecution of
soldiers including their commander who carried out this heinous act of killings
of protesters in Zaria.
We call for solidarity
mass actions to condemn the repression of pro-Palestine protests in Nigeria and
to join forces with worldwide resistance of the Israeli state terror in Gaza.
We of the SPN advocate a
relentless struggle of working people and youth of Palestine against the
occupation and blockade of Gaza and West Bank by the Israeli state with the
solidarity of the workers and youth in Israel for a Socialist Palestine and
Socialist Israel. This will be a basis for a voluntary confederation of a
socialist Middle East as part of a democratic socialist world.
Segun Sango
National Chairperson
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