On Saturday, June 1, Berliners from all national backgrounds and all religious and political creeds are invited to meet in front of the Neue Wache to read aloud the names of the 15,000 children who’ve been killed in Gaza since October 2023.
Initiated by three International Berlinerinnen, the action means to break the silence surrounding the tragedy unfolding in Gaza, and express compassion. Behind the anonymity of the mass tallies, there were 15,000 children who each had a family, a life, and a face — they had names, which Berliners are invited to speak together over a 14-hour public reading.
“Faced with the German media’s failure to inform, and the subsequent silence surrounding the horrific death tolls of so many innocent victims, we want to speak aloud: our frustration, our outrage, our grief…. and those children’s names!”
Strictly apolitical and 100% independent, the movement is supported by local initiatives Grieving Doves, gesundheit4palestine and Stimmen aus Gaza, as well as associations, groups and artists calling for a ceasefire in Gaza.
- The public reading: Berliners of all backgrounds and all political and religious beliefs will gather and honour the memory of the children killed in Gaza by reading aloud their names. The reading starts at 9am and continues without interruption until the last name on the list (after midnight).
- The shoe display: The public reading will be accompanied by the display of thousands of children’s shoes — a symbol aiming to materialise the scope of the mass killings.
A symbolic location and a special date:
- When: On International Children’s Day, June 1, 2024, from 9am till after midnight — without interruption
- Where: Outside the Neue Wache, on Unter den Linden 4 — Germany’s official Memorial to “the victims of wars and tyranny,” which houses Käthe Kollwitz’s famous Pietà (“Mother and her Dead Son”) — a symbol!
Hundreds of Berliners of all nationalities and backgrounds, including Jews and Germans, have already signed up to read between 9am and midnight. Anyone can book a slot of 5 to 10 minutes ahead of the event (see below, no Arabic skills needed). Or just drop by on Saturday either to help read or simply to join the collective expression of solidarity, human grief and compassion for the innocent victims of Gaza and their families.
To Contribute/book a slot:
Email: starttalkingaboutgaza@gmail.com
IG: honouringthechildrenofgaza
TG: https://t.me/honouringthechildrenofgaza
Press requests: n.vancauw@gmail.com
