Uruguay’s ruling coalition joins mass pro-Palestine march in Montevideo

Uruguay’s governing Broad Front coalition and the country’s main labor federation joined a large march in Montevideo in solidarity with Palestinians, as organizers urged President Yamandú Orsi’s government to cut all trade links with Israel.

Thousands of people braved the rain on Thursday to march from the Montevideo city hall esplanade along 18 de Julio, the capital’s main avenue, to Plaza Independencia, home to the presidential offices. The march, called by the Coordination for Palestine under the slogan “Free Palestine or barbarism,” marked three years since the start of Israel’s offensive in Gaza.

Pressure on the Orsi government

A banner reading “Stop the genocide! Free Palestine” at the Montevideo march

The political leadership of the Broad Front, the coalition of President Yamandú Orsi, unanimously backed the protest, alongside the PIT-CNT union federation and other groups. In a statement, the coalition called for an end to attacks across the region, including in Lebanon and the West Bank, backed a two-state solution based on the 1967 borders and urged the government to keep promoting international action toward a lasting settlement.

Marchers, saying a “genocide by drip” was continuing in Gaza, demanded that Uruguay suspend “absolutely all commercial ties” with Israel. More than 15 marches were organized across the country between Thursday and Saturday.