«Can you hear us?»: Greenpeace and Unmute Gaza unveil a striking illustration by Obey at the Reina Sofia museum in Madrid to call for a ceasefire

Greenpeace climbers unfurled an illustration by US visual artist Shepard Fairey «Obey» in Madrid’s Reina Sofia museum early this morning to call for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza. The work shows a Palestinian child covered in blood with the caption «Can you hear us?» and the sign «unmute» in the centre. It is accompanied by another banner reading «CEASEFIRE NOW». 

The illustration is based on the image taken by Gazan photojournalist Belal Khaled and is one of dozens of works by 30 visual artists from around the world who joined the Unmute Gaza movement to pay tribute to the photographers and journalists who, risking their lives, report from Gaza to draw attention to the nightmare of death, pain and destruction that is taking place in the area.

PHOTO AND VIDEO AVAILABLE HERE

Shepard Fairey «Obey» said «I feel morally obliged to amplify the message of Belal’s photography. I believe in solutions to disagreements that avoid violence. The tragic events of the last three and a half months in Israel and Palestine have saddened and upset me. First, I was shocked by Hamas’s murdering and kidnapping of Israeli citizens on October 7. I have since been shocked by the indiscriminate bombing and disregard for human rights and human life in Gaza by the Israeli military in response to Hamas’s attack. The denial of water, electrical power, and basic necessities to Gaza’s citizens, as well as their mass displacement, has no moral justification. I therefore stand with countless others demanding an immediate cease-fire in Gaza.”

Greenpeace executive director Eva Saldaña also stressed that «the conflict is now in its 109th day and the situation in Gaza is desperate. The people of Gaza are facing a humanitarian catastrophe of huge proportions. We cannot stand idly by, we want them to know that we can hear them. Today, we join our voices with theirs and call on the parties involved and the international community to prioritise the preservation of human life above all else. The Reina Sofia Museum in Madrid is known worldwide for, among other things, housing Picasso’s ‘Guernica’, a symbol of the suffering of civilians in war. There is no better place to denounce what is happening in Gaza, to reconnect with our humanity in order to put life before everything else, to demand respect for current international law, and to call for a ceasefire through the work of two great artists, Obey and Belal Khaled», concluded Saldaña. 

Quote from Unmute Gaza: «Unmute Gaza is a creative movement in support of the Palestinian photojournalists reporting in unimaginable conditions on the ground in Gaza. On streets across the world, we amplify their voice through our community of artists; empowering the public with powerful free assets for protest and advocacy. 30 international artists have created prints based on the original photography of Belal Khaled, Mahmoud Bassam, Sameh Rahmi, Saher Alghorra and Majdi Fathi. Public support has been overwhelming, with prints downloaded and pasted across 83 cities and 30 countries. The movement declares that WE DO NOT AGREE, WE ARE NOT COMPLICIT, WE ARE NOT LOOKING AWAY.»

The organisations stress that the civilian population cannot be the victim of collective punishment, so it is necessary to stop the cycle of violence against innocent people. The Heads of State and Government, the European Union, the UN Security Council and all world leaders have a moral and legal obligation to act to ensure that an immediate, unconditional and a permanent ceasefire comes into effect, to guarantee the delivery of humanitarian assistance, to call for the release of all unlawfully and arbitrarily detained people, and to take the necessary steps towards a just and lasting peace in the region that respects international law.

-ENDS-

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