A group of EU staff gather for a silent protest demanding peace and justice in Gaza in front of the Berlaymont building in Brussels, Belgium, on March 27, 2025. Sunlight bathed the Schuman roundabout in Brussels, the symbolic heart of the European Union, at noon on Thursday. Surrounded by the European Commission and the Council of the EU, a group of EU staff quietly gathered in front of the Berlaymont building for a silent protest demanding peace and justice in Gaza. (Xinhua/Liao Lei)
BRUSSELS, March 27 (Xinhua) -- Sunlight bathed the Schuman roundabout in Brussels, the symbolic heart of the European Union, at noon on Thursday. Surrounded by the European Commission and the Council of the EU, a group of EU staff quietly gathered in front of the Berlaymont building for a silent protest demanding peace and justice in Gaza.
Dozens of participants stood in solemn silence, holding a half-hour lunchtime demonstration. Among them was a woman in a deep red coat, wrapped in a pink keffiyeh. In her hands, she held a large poster bearing the image of a young man in a blue bulletproof vest labeled "PRESS."
The man was Hossam Shabat, a 23-year-old Al Jazeera journalist from Gaza. The text on the poster recounted the trajectory of his life: he witnessed Israel's incursion into Gaza at the age of seven. On Monday, he was killed in an Israeli airstrike.
After a short-lived ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas in January, Israel resumed large-scale airstrikes and ground operations in Gaza on March 18. According to reports, at least 830 people have been killed and over 142,000 displaced since then.
"We have been asking for an immediate ceasefire since day one, for the flow of humanitarian aid into Gaza to go uninterrupted by Israel, but Israel is stopping everything. They are committing every violation of human rights, and we (EU) still have disagreements," the woman said, pointing toward the Commission building.
This was not an isolated event. Since December, similar actions have been taking place for months, initially every two weeks, and now weekly, every Thursday during the lunch break.
What began with just a handful of staff members has grown into a movement of nearly 100. Organizers have also circulated an open letter addressed to EU leadership, calling for urgent action toward peace in Gaza. It has gathered nearly 3,000 signatures to date.
Still, not everyone watching the protest agreed with its message. "They say they want peace, but they're really supporting Hamas," a man in a suit muttered to a colleague as he walked past.
When asked whether these protests make any real difference for peace in Gaza, the woman in red answered with a weary tone: "Every week, there are new horrors, and we think this is the red line they have crossed, and that would be too much for so-called leaders. But so far, they are ignoring human rights."
Demonstrators held a large white banner that read, "EU STAFF FOR PEACE & JUSTICE." At the center was a stylized symbol of a raised hand with a red heart -- an emblem of nonviolence. Behind the banner, participants stood shoulder to shoulder, many holding black-and-white portraits or red placards, their expressions resolute.
"We are staff from various EU institutions. During work hours, we're expected to stay neutral. But outside the buildings where we work, during our lunch break, we have to speak out," said one woman from France, her voice steady but firm.
Despite their courage, most participants declined to be named. "Several colleagues have already been questioned for participating in these actions. One colleague from Gaza had her contract terminated while working in Brussels," the woman in red in her 30s quietly confided.
Many people are afraid, because the pressure from internal is real. "I've been questioned myself. I'm afraid, I'm concerned, but I still want to make myself heard about Palestine," said the Belgian protester who has worked for the European Parliament as a consultant for over four years.
In recent days, thousands of Palestinians have taken to the rubble-strewn streets of Gaza, calling for an end to Israeli military operations. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has warned that unless hostages held by Hamas are returned, Israel will intensify its offensive.
"I'm really, really concerned that we see images of their children, women and men, and journalists, and they want to impose this as a new normal. And it will never be normal for me," said the woman in dark red, tears in her eyes. ■
A group of EU staff gather for a silent protest demanding peace and justice in Gaza in front of the Berlaymont building in Brussels, Belgium, on March 27, 2025. Sunlight bathed the Schuman roundabout in Brussels, the symbolic heart of the European Union, at noon on Thursday. Surrounded by the European Commission and the Council of the EU, a group of EU staff quietly gathered in front of the Berlaymont building for a silent protest demanding peace and justice in Gaza. (Xinhua/Liao Lei)
