Protestors replace Picasso's ‘Motherhood’ with image of ‘Palestinian mother’ at National Gallery
London: Two activists from the group Youth Demand replaced Pablo Picasso’s painting Motherhood at the National Gallery in London with a photograph of a Gazan mother and child, calling for a two-way arms embargo on Israel. The incident took place on Wednesday, with protesters covering the 1901 artwork with the photograph and pouring red paint on the gallery floor to symbolise bloodshed in Gaza.
The protesters were identified as 23-year-old NHS worker Jai Halai and 21-year-old politics student Monday-Malachi Rosenfeld. The photograph used, taken by Anadolu Agency’s photojournalist Ali Jadallah, depicted a mother holding her injured child after an Israeli air strike at Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City in 2023.
Halai, explaining the motive behind the action, stated: “I’m taking action with Youth Demand because it’s been over a year of seeing my colleagues in the healthcare field decimated by bombs and bullets.” He emphasised the need for a two-way arms embargo on Israel, citing that 87 per cent of the British public support this measure, while the government continues to arm Israel.
Rosenfeld, a Jewish student at Greenwich University, also condemned the situation, asserting, “As a Jew, I feel it’s my duty to call out the genocide being committed in Gaza. This is not being done in the Jewish name. When Keir Starmer says Britain stands with Israel, he’s wrong. We know very well this is not self-defence—this is genocide.”
A spokesperson for Youth Demand reiterated the group’s position, condemning the UK government for allegedly arming Israel to carry out genocide against Palestinians. The group vowed to continue resisting until justice is achieved.
The ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas has led to thousands of casualties, mostly women and children, with widespread displacement in Gaza due to the continued blockade, which has caused severe shortages of basic necessities. Israel currently faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its actions in Gaza.
Protester covers Picasso's 'Motherhood' with an image of a Palestinian mother and child in a powerful act of protest. pic.twitter.com/ROV7woS8tW
— PALESTINE ONLINE 🇵🇸 (@OnlinePalEng) October 9, 2024
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Pakistan reports two more polio cases; Total tally now 52
ISLAMABAD: At least two more cases of poliovirus were reported in Pakistan, taking the number of infections to 52 so far this year, a report said on Friday.
“The Regional Reference Laboratory for Polio Eradication at the National Institute of Health has confirmed the detection of two more wild poliovirus type 1 (WPV1) cases in Pakistan," an official statement said.
The fresh infections — a boy and a girl — were reported from the Dera Ismail Khan district of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province.
“Genetic sequencing of the samples collected from the children is underway," the statement read. Dera Ismail Khan, one of the seven polio-endemic districts of southern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, has reported five polio cases so far this year.
Of the 52 cases in the country this year, 24 are from Balochistan, 13 from Sindh, 13 from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and one each from Punjab and Islamabad.
There is no cure for polio. Only multiple doses of the oral polio vaccine and completion of the routine vaccination schedule for all children under the age of five can keep them protected.
