The city of Sopot in Poland has decided to end its twin-city relationship with Ashkelon, claiming that it cannot maintain ties with a city near Gaza, where a “genocide is taking place.”
Sopot, a seaside resort town on the Baltic coast, established a twin-city agreement with Ashkelon in 1993. A few months ago, pro-Palestinian activists, together with city council member Barbara Brzeźnicka, pushed to cancel the agreement following the war. Supporting their argument, proponents noted that Sopot had also cut ties with a twin city in Russia due to the war against Ukraine.
After an initial failed attempt to advance the move, Brzeźnicka mobilized large groups of pro-Palestinian activists and the organization Amnesty International to pressure the city council into approving the step.
In the decision led by Brzeźnicka, it was stated that “cutting ties with Ashkelon will constitute a strong political gesture, proving that the slogan ‘Sopot, a city of human rights’ is not empty rhetoric.”