Model denounces genocide in Gaza from the catwalk in Copenhagen

Copenhagen Fashion Week SS26 was not only a showcase of trends and creativity, but also an unexpected stage for resistance and solidarity that has left a deep mark on the collective memory of the industry. Although fashion is often perceived as detached from social and political change, the reality is quite the opposite. In this space, model and musician Jura used her platform on the catwalk to give voice to an urgent reality: the genocide in Gaza.

During the Marimekko show, the playful and colourful atmosphere was interrupted by a powerful gesture. Jura pulled out a Palestinian flag with the phrase ‘ACT NOW AGAINST GENOCIDE’ right in the middle of the show. Her act not only denounced the extreme and systematic violence suffered by the Palestinian population in Gaza, but also confronted us all with an uncomfortable truth: the Palestinian crisis is not a distant conflict or a passing news story, it is an issue that defines the future of humanity.

Gaza, subjected to an inhumane blockade for more than a decade, faces a situation that many describe as genocide. Violence, constant bombing, lack of access to basic services, food, medicine and drinking water are part of a strategy that seeks to suffocate an entire population. In 2025, the international community continues to fail to act with the necessary urgency, while silence and indifference allow this tragedy to continue.

Jura’s message, forceful and clear, invites reflection: ‘There is no future for us without Palestine.’ This is not just a territorial conflict, but a struggle against the excessive power that the world has allowed to be exercised over a minority. The protest on the catwalk is not just a fashion statement, but a call to action, an invitation to use any platform—big or small—to highlight injustice and demand real change.

This is not the first time that Copenhagen Fashion Week has become a space for protest. In the AW25 edition, Alectra Rothschild incorporated an excerpt from Donald Trump’s speech to the trans community into her show, transforming the catwalk into an act of human rights advocacy. The Palestinian keffiyeh, meanwhile, has found its place within the European community as a symbol of support, pride and resistance.

Fashion may seem superficial, but when used as a vehicle for protest and solidarity, it becomes a powerful weapon. Jura’s catwalk in Copenhagen is a reminder that art and culture cannot and should not be indifferent to the injustices that surround us. In a world where the genocide in Gaza is being hidden behind cold headlines and empty diplomatic speeches, the cry of ‘ACT NOW’ is a challenge to us all.

Because in the end, as Jura says, what happens to Palestine is everyone’s future. And that is something that neither fashion nor anyone else can afford to ignore.

Mia Khalifa and ARIES design a T-shirt for Palestine.