Europe: exploitation of children in anti-Israeli demonstrations

ESISC has issued a press release expressing concern about the way children had been exploitated during an anti-Israeli demonstration held in Brussels on 11 January, which gathered over 30,000 protesters :

"[The demonstration] gave rise to the most shocking exploitation of children:

- From the start of the demonstration, dozens of children were grouped at the head of the march, surrounded by adults and forced to repeat slogans that it was obvious some of them did not understand.

- Certain children carried banners or placards containing explicit calls to hatred, while others waved flags of terrorist organizations such as the Hezbollah.

- A group of children was allowed by the supervisors to set fire to an Israeli flag and then to trample on it to the cries of "Allahu Akhbar".

- At the end of the demonstration, the children were made to lie on the ground to perform a macabre "die in" meant to symbolize the children victims of Gaza.

The ESISC questions the compatibility of this manipulation of children with articles 19 and 29 (paragraphs B and C) of the International Convention on the Rights of the Child and more generally, with the values of a democracy such as Belgium."

(Translated by P.)
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Oslo: 'Children used as shields'

"A group of children with t-shirts and hands painted to look bloody went first in the demonstration procession from the Parliament to Israel's embassy yesterday. This was, among other things, to help prevent the demonstration from becoming violent, according to the organizers.

When the demonstrators got to the embassy the children were first in line and called out slogans, while the other were held back by the organizer's own guards.

It quickly turned out that the children unfortunately didn't contribute to the demonstration from being peaceful. A firecracker was thrown at the police which exploded right by the small children, who were very frightened and had to be led away." (more here)

Source: Islam in Europe