British Egyptian actor and activist Khalid Abdalla (The Kite Runner, The Crown, The Square) spoke at the Free Palestine Naksa Day Rally in Naarm on Sunday June 7 where he mentioned his connection to the Free Marwan Barghouti campaign and paid tribute to the Free Palestine Melbourne movement.

The actor was in Melbourne performing his one man play Nowhere as part of the RISING Festival.

Abdalla was in attendance at the State Library of Victoria where crowds had gathered to commemorate the anniversary of the 1967 Naksa, where he met with members of Free Palestine Melbourne, posed for photos with fans, and graciously agreed to speak.

Abdalla told the crowd his connection to the international Free Marwan Barghouti campaign was not lost on him, having followed a speech by Adnan Mansour about Free Palestine Melbourne’s “Freedom for Marwan Barghouti Now” campaign, that had highlighted Barghouti was widely regarded as the Palestinian Mandela.

Khalid Abdalla said:

‘My connection also with the Marwan Barghouti campaign, and how this all connects. Whether it’s from our First Nations people, to those who fought against apartheid in South Africa … as Nelson Mandela said, “Barghouti’s case is exactly the same as mine,” all the way to here, to Palestine, to Aotearoa New Zealand where I was just a few months ago. You are fighting the battle that will change our world.’

Abdalla is one of hundreds of international public figures, including Cate Blanchett and Hugo Weaving, demanding the immediate release of Palestinian leader Marwan Barghouti from Israeli prison, where he has been illegally held by Israel for more than 24 years.