Geneva, May 6th, 2025 – “It is not enough to have our governments protect Jewish life. If we lose our streets to those who call for the destruction of Israel we have lost the battle for Europe.” This was the message of ECI Founding Director Tomas Sandell who spoke at the March of Life in Geneva on Sunday afternoon. Sandell was the last speaker of the march which started outside the central synagogue in Geneva and concluded near to the historical building which once hosted the League of Nations. The march in Geneva was one several similar such rallies which have taken place in Europe over the last few days organised by the March of Life organisation led by Jobst and Charlotte Bittner in Tübingen, Germany.
What started as a spontaneous march along the route of a local death march in Tübingen many years ago has grown to become an international movement with marches on several continents. Sunday’s march in Geneva was co-hosted by local organisations Gesher Ha’haim and Esther Foundation as well as by the European Coalition for Israel.
The two-day conference began on Saturday when Israeli survivors of the October 7 massacre shared their personal testimonies. German actress Sarah Maria Sander explained how the terrorist attack on October 7 changed her life. After having experienced the indifference of her friends and colleagues in Germany and while international media seemed to systematically underreport the attacks on Israel and the suffering of Israeli civilians she decided to travel to Israel and start her own YouTube channel. Through her social media work she gives eyewitness reports from Israel on news stories which are being either ignored or downplayed by international media which makes no distinction between the Hamas terrorist organisation and the Israel Defense Forces. Having experienced many near-death situations in the war zones in Israel she told the audience that she still felt safer in Israel than in Germany where she is receiving regular hate mail and death threats both online and in person.
Tomas Sandell summarised ECI’s role in the current battle for the truth in saying that “while ECI is primarily called to the corridors of power it is pivotal that we do not give up our streets in Europe to those groups who call for the destruction of Israel and death to the Jews.“
Concluding his speech on Sunday afternoon Sandell recalled the rhetorical question which led to the creation of European Coalition for Israel in 2003. He said, “If you ask yourself what you would have done if you had lived in Nazi Germany during the Holocaust, the answer is clear. What you do today, when antisemitism is again raising its ugly head across the world, is what you would have done then if you had been alive during the Holocaust. Taking part in a March of Life is to be on the right side of history.”
Other speakers at the march included the Israeli Ambassador to the UN in Geneva, Daniel Meron, Rabbi Eric Ackerman, Pastor David Bouillon, Dr. Björn Aronsson and the main organiser of the event Richard Pittet from Association Gesher Ha’haim.
