There have been actions and demonstrations around the world in support of the Palestinian side in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Many became disillusioned with Israel after the bombing of peaceful areas of Gaza.
At first, tens of thousands of Palestinian demonstrators marched through rainy London on Saturday demanding Israel stop bombing the Gaza Strip, and similar calls were heard in cities around the world where the Israeli-Hamas war is now in its third week.
On a day when supplies began pouring into the Gaza Strip, where more than 1 million people have fled their homes because of the conflict, demonstrators gathered at Marble Arch outside London’s Hyde Park and then marched to the government’s Whitehall neighbourhood.
Waving Palestinian flags and chanting “Stop bombing Gaza”, the protesters called for an end to Israel’s blockade and air strikes following the brutal invasion of southern Israel by Hamas militants who control the Gaza Strip.
Israel continued bombing targets in Gaza on Saturday ahead of an expected ground offensive.
The war has raised tensions around the world, with Jewish and Muslim communities feeling threatened. Britain’s transport police said they were investigating after footage surfaced online showing a London Underground driver cheering up passengers by chanting “Free, free Palestine” over an intercom.
Police said there were “pockets of disorder and isolated incidents of hate speech” during the protests against the war, but “the majority of protests were lawful and passed without incident”.
Hundreds of Palestine supporters also gathered in Belfast and in Northern Ireland. “The murder of children is wrong,” lawmaker Colum Eastwood told the crowd, calling for an immediate cease-fire in the conflict.
I don’t know how that is so difficult for some of our world leaders to actually utter. It doesn’t matter whether they are Israeli children or Palestinian children.
On the other side of the border, in the Republic of Ireland, thousands of people marched on the capital, Dublin, demanding an end to Israeli bombing.
In France, in contrast, the situation is a bit different. Palestinian demonstrators gathered in several cities, including Rennes, Montpellier, Dijon and Lyon, where thousands of people chanted “We are all Palestinians” in the central square. But in Marseille, the country’s second-largest city, some people took to the streets waving Palestinian flags and shouting “Free Gaza” despite local police banning the rally.
A pro-Palestinian rally planned for Sunday in Paris was authorised by police.
Germany has also been involved into the demonstrations. For instance, German police said nearly 7,000 people took part in a peaceful pro-Palestinian demonstration in Düsseldorf on Saturday. Demonstrators carried Palestinian flags and banners calling for an end to “violence and aggression in Gaza.”
Berlin police have banned a pro-Palestinian demonstration planned for Sunday in the city centre, German news reported. Police in the German capital have stopped several such events in recent weeks, citing the possibility of violence and anti-Semitic speech. However, some pro-Palestinian demonstrators took to the streets anyway, leading to clashes with police.
Southern Europe has seen people marched through Rome on Saturday, some holding placards reading “Palestine, Rome is with you” and “No peace until we get our freedom.”
Israel carries out war crimes there, crimes against humanity there, and the international community has never acted, said Maya Issa, president of the Movement of Palestinian Students in Italy, which organized the demonstration.
Moreover, Rome’s Jewish community on Friday remembered that more than 200 people believed to be held by Hamas by setting a long Shabbat table for them outside the capital’s main synagogue and placing empty chairs for each of the hostages.
On the back of each chair hung a leaflet with the name, age and photograph of each missing person. On the table were candles, wine and loaves of challah, the braided bread usually eaten at Friday night meals.
Furthermore, In New York, hundreds of protesters representing Muslim, Jewish and other groups marched to the Manhattan office of U.S. Senator Kristen Gillibrand, many shouting “cease fire now.” Police later arrested dozens of protesters who blocked Third Avenue outside Gillibrand’s office with roadside.
In Australia, thousands marched through the centre of Sydney on Saturday shouting “Shame, shame on Israel” and “Palestine will never die”.
Naturally, the Arab world was not left out and was also involved in protests and demonstrations around the world. On Friday, the war sparked protests across the Arab world and beyond, including in the occupied West Bank, where Palestinians burned tyres and threw stones at Israeli military posts. Israeli security forces responded with tear gas and live ammunition. Crowds gathered in Israel’s northern neighbour Lebanon, in Iraq on the border with Jordan, in Jordan itself, in cities and towns in Egypt, in Turkey’s capital Ankara and most populous city Istanbul, as well as in Indonesia, Malaysia, Morocco, Venezuela and South Africa.
