Alpinists hang Palestine flag on Les Drus to denounce genocide in Gaza

On Saturday 16 and Sunday 17 August an anonymous collective of climbers and alpinists suspended a giant Palestinian flag on the west face of Les Drus above Chamonix in the Mont Blanc massif. In its press release, the Alpinists for Gaza collective stated it had acted "to raise awareness of the ongoing genocide in Gaza and the inaction of Western governments in the face of crimes committed by Benjamin Netanyahu’s government." The flag was subsequently removed by the Peloton de Gendarmerie de Haute Montagne.

The collective explained "We, alpinists, refuse to let the sports and outdoor world remain silent in the face of genocide. Sport has always been a political lever, and using this means of expression to convey a humanist message seemed obvious to us. Initially planned to remain suspended for three days, the authorities deployed significant resources to try to remove it by helicopter from this steep and hard-to- access face. The disproportionate mobilization of police forces to take it down - just like the repression of Palestinian flags during the Tour de France - raises a question: has a symbol of hope for an oppressed people become an offense?"

The collective accused Western governments of "diplomatic caution that borders on complicity" and urged them to "put an end to the Palestinian genocide by exerting strong political, economic, and diplomatic pressure on Israel." Furthermore, it demanded that Western governments "Work concretely toward establishing a viable and secure two-state solution for the peaceful coexistence of both nations" as well as enforcing "the arrest warrants issued by the ICC against war criminals Benjamin Netanyahu and Yoav Gallant." Additionally, it called on "international sports federations to make Israeli athletes compete under a neutral flag, so that sport no longer serves as a showcase for a genocidal government - just as was imposed on Russian athletes."

The collective concluded "We, alpinists, have chosen the mountains to carry this visual cry to the world. Hanging this flag is a reminder that no wall, no matter how high, can hide the truth: a people is being exterminated before the world’s eyes."