London (AFP) – Thousands of protesters marched in cities around the world on Saturday calling for a ceasefire in Gaza and Lebanon as the war in the Palestinian territory neared the one-year mark.
Issued on: 05/10/2024 -
Pro-ceasefire supporters from across the UK marched from Russell Square to Downing Street © JUSTIN TALLIS / AFP
Kicking off a planned wave of demonstrations worldwide, pro-Palestinian supporters gathered in cities in Europe, Africa and the Americas to demand an end to the conflict, which has killed nearly 42,000 people in Gaza.
Dozens of protests and commemorations are set to take place ahead of the anniversary Monday of Hamas's attack on Israel, which resulted in the deaths of 1,205 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on Israeli official figures.
Israel's retaliatory military offensive has killed at least 41,825 people in Gaza, most of them civilians, according to figures provided by the territory's health ministry and described as reliable by the United Nations.
With Israel now mounting a ground operation in Lebanon and vowing to respond to a barrage of missiles fired by Iran this week, there are fears the conflict could spiral into a wider war.
Underlining international polarisation over events in the Middle East, demonstrations in support of both Israel and the Palestinians are planned worldwide -- sometimes with rival events scheduled in the same city.
'Worse and worse'
A pro-Palestinian protest in Rome that drew thousands of people turned violent, as dozens of young demonstrators threw bottles and firecrackers at police, who responded with tear gas and water cannon.
Police officers clash with protestors during a pro-Palestinian demonstration in Rome © Alberto PIZZOLI / AFP
At least one policeman was wounded and two protestors detained, AFP journalists said.
"Israel is a criminal state!" the demonstrators shouted.
In Berlin, police said they had detained 26 people who shouted insults at a pro-Israeli commemoration attended by around 650 people.
Meanwhile, a pro-Palestinian demonstration drew just over 1,000 protestors in the German capital, police said.
At the "National March for Palestine" in London, chants of "stop bombing civilians" were joined by shouts of "hands off Lebanon".
Zackerea Bakir, 28, said he has attended dozens of marches around the United Kingdom. Large numbers continue to turn up because "everyone wants a change", he told AFP.
Kicking off a planned wave of demonstrations worldwide, pro-Palestinian supporters gathered in cities in Europe, Africa and the Americas to demand an end to the conflict, which has killed nearly 42,000 people in Gaza.
Dozens of protests and commemorations are set to take place ahead of the anniversary Monday of Hamas's attack on Israel, which resulted in the deaths of 1,205 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on Israeli official figures.
Israel's retaliatory military offensive has killed at least 41,825 people in Gaza, most of them civilians, according to figures provided by the territory's health ministry and described as reliable by the United Nations.
With Israel now mounting a ground operation in Lebanon and vowing to respond to a barrage of missiles fired by Iran this week, there are fears the conflict could spiral into a wider war.
Underlining international polarisation over events in the Middle East, demonstrations in support of both Israel and the Palestinians are planned worldwide -- sometimes with rival events scheduled in the same city.
'Worse and worse'
A pro-Palestinian protest in Rome that drew thousands of people turned violent, as dozens of young demonstrators threw bottles and firecrackers at police, who responded with tear gas and water cannon.
Police officers clash with protestors during a pro-Palestinian demonstration in Rome © Alberto PIZZOLI / AFPAt least one policeman was wounded and two protestors detained, AFP journalists said.
"Israel is a criminal state!" the demonstrators shouted.
In Berlin, police said they had detained 26 people who shouted insults at a pro-Israeli commemoration attended by around 650 people.
Meanwhile, a pro-Palestinian demonstration drew just over 1,000 protestors in the German capital, police said.
At the "National March for Palestine" in London, chants of "stop bombing civilians" were joined by shouts of "hands off Lebanon".
Zackerea Bakir, 28, said he has attended dozens of marches around the United Kingdom. Large numbers continue to turn up because "everyone wants a change", he told AFP.
Demonstrators in Madrid march in solidarity with Palestinian and Lebanese people © Thomas COEX / AFP
"It's continuing to just get worse and worse, and yet nothing seems to be changing," said Bakir, joined at the rally by his mother and brother.
While the rally in London was largely peaceful, at least 15 people were arrested, including three on suspicion of assaulting an emergency worker and one on suspicion of supporting a proscribed organisation.
In Dublin, several hundred people took to the streets, waving Palestinian flags and chanting: "Ceasefire now!".
In France, thousands of people marched in Paris, Lyon, Toulouse, Bordeaux and Strasbourg to express solidarity with Palestinians, AFP journalists said.
Around 5,000 people joined a pro-Palestinian protest in Madrid, brandishing signs with messages such as "Boycott Israel".
A pro-Palestinian demonstration in the Swiss city of Basel drew several thousand people, the Keystone-ATS news agency reported.
Hundreds of pro-Palestinian demonstrators also marched on the Israeli embassy in Athens, which was heavily guarded by riot police.
Soaring tension
In Cape Town in South Africa, hundreds walked to parliament, chanting: "Israel is a racist state" and "We are all Palestinian."
"It's continuing to just get worse and worse, and yet nothing seems to be changing," said Bakir, joined at the rally by his mother and brother.
While the rally in London was largely peaceful, at least 15 people were arrested, including three on suspicion of assaulting an emergency worker and one on suspicion of supporting a proscribed organisation.
In Dublin, several hundred people took to the streets, waving Palestinian flags and chanting: "Ceasefire now!".
In France, thousands of people marched in Paris, Lyon, Toulouse, Bordeaux and Strasbourg to express solidarity with Palestinians, AFP journalists said.
Around 5,000 people joined a pro-Palestinian protest in Madrid, brandishing signs with messages such as "Boycott Israel".
A pro-Palestinian demonstration in the Swiss city of Basel drew several thousand people, the Keystone-ATS news agency reported.
Hundreds of pro-Palestinian demonstrators also marched on the Israeli embassy in Athens, which was heavily guarded by riot police.
Soaring tension
In Cape Town in South Africa, hundreds walked to parliament, chanting: "Israel is a racist state" and "We are all Palestinian."
A woman wears a dress in the colours of the Palestinian flag as she takes part in a pro-Palestinian march in Cape Town © RODGER BOSCH / AFP
Pro-Gaza marches were also planned Saturday in Johannesburg and Durban.
In Caracas, hundreds of pro-Palestinian demonstrators protested outside the United Nations's headquarters for Venezuela, carrying a giant Palestinian flag.
They delivered a petition to the UN calling for an end to the "genocide" of the Palestinians.
"Where are the UN peacekeepers? Why haven't they intervened?" university professor Jesus Reyes, 53, told AFP.
Other pro-Palestinian protests were planned over the weekend and on Monday in cities including New York, Sydney, Buenos Aires, Madrid, Manila, and Karachi.
Pope Francis has called for a day of "prayer and fasting for peace" on the anniversary of the attack, amid soaring tension in the Middle East.
An official anniversary ceremony will be held in Jerusalem on Monday.
Israeli President Isaac Herzog will lead a memorial service at Sderot, one of the cities hardest hit during the onslaught by Palestinian militants.
burs-aks-jhb/gv
© 2024 AFP
Marches across US mark Gaza war anniversary
Washington (AFP) – Thousands marched in US cities from Washington to Los Angeles on Saturday, demanding an immediate ceasefire as the war in Gaza nears the one-year mark, with a man attempting to self-immolate in protest.
Issued on: 06/10/2024 -
T
Protests in Berlin and many major cities as October 7
People in Berlin rallied in support of both Israelis as well as Palestinians and Lebanese in rival demonstrations almost a year after Hamas' October 7 attack. Protesters mobilized in many other cities the world over.
Police kept space between participants in a number of rallies across Berlin on Saturday
Jewish group official says October 7 an unsuitable date for pro-Palestinian protests
The president of the Central Council of Jews in Germany, Josef Schuster, said in a newspaper interview on Saturday that some recent pro-Palestinian demonstrations had been a "low point" for German society.
He cited "the scenes of celebration on German streets after Iran's rocket attack against Israel" earlier this week, and "the calls for open protests of hate towards Israel around the anniversary" of Hamas's October 7 terror attack.
Schuster told the RND network of newspapers that anyone who was unable on that anniversary "to feel at least a little empathy for Jewish people, for Israeli people, will never be able to do so — and that person has a serious problem."
Schuster said Germany's open society set up after World War II and the Holocaust in which the first article of the constitution begins, "Human dignity shall be inviolable," was at risk unless the rest of Germany recognized this problem.
The German government's commissioner tasked with combating antisemitism, Felix Klein, said he was observing with alarm not just rapidly rising cases of antisemitic crimes in Germany, but also protests "where hatred of Israel and antisemitic positions are expressed."
Meanwhile, the commissioner tasked with combating racism, Reem Alabali-Radovan, said it was not acceptable to place Palestinians or their supporters under general suspicion either.
Israel-Hamas-war: Berlin demonstrations ahead of October 7
October 7 is the anniversary of the terrorist attack on Israel, in which hundreds of Israelis were killed and kidnapped and which led to the Israel-Hamas war. Berlin already saw pro-Israeli and pro-Palestinian protests.
Pro-Israeli demonstration in Berlin
On Saturday, October 5, two days before the anniversary of the terrorist attack on Israel, there was a pro-Israel demonstration in Berlin.
Pro-Palestinian protest at the same time
At the same time, a pro-Palestinian demonstration is taking place elsewhere in Berlin. At the Platz der Luftbrücke, many demonstrators are carrying Palestinian flags, as well as a large banner soaked in fake blood saying "Stop Israel's bloody genocide."
Hundreds of police on the streets
A lot of police are deployed to prevent violence. On the social media platform X, police said 500 officers were on site. The police estimated the number of participants in the pro-Palestinian rally at around 500 and the pro-Israeli demonstration at around 650.I
More demonstrations coming up
There were pro-Israeli and pro-Palestinian demonstrations not only in Berlin but also in other German cities and around the world. Further demonstrations have been announced for Sunday and Monday — and the number of participants will likely be larger than on Saturday.Image: Christian Mang/REUTERS
She said that while antisemitism should not be tolerated at any protests, "There must also be a space for people, where they can point to the suffering of the people in Gaza or in the region."
Germany's government has also faced criticism for what some deem an overzealous attempt to police and regulate antisemitism, likely rooted at least in part in its 20th century history.
From Cape Town to Copenhagen — other demonstrations around the world
People also took to the streets in countries including Denmark, the UK, the Republic of Ireland, France, Switzerland and Italy on Saturday, mostly calling for a halt to fighting in Gaza and Lebanon.
In Rome, police fired tear gas and water cannons after clashes broke out. Around 6,000 protesters defied a ban to march in the city center.
Some 40,000 people attended the "National March for Palestine" in central London, organizers said.
Police were on hand in numbers, after some demonstrators had said they planned to target businesses and institutions they deemed to support Israel in the city center, including the British Museum.
In London, counter-demonstrators waved Israeli flags as pro-Palestinian marchers walked by. There were 15 arrests on the sidelines of the protests, according to police, who did not specify whether those detained were from either group.
A simultaneous demo took place in the Republic of Ireland's capital, Dublin, with some calling Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and US President Joe Biden "war criminals."
Washington (AFP) – Thousands marched in US cities from Washington to Los Angeles on Saturday, demanding an immediate ceasefire as the war in Gaza nears the one-year mark, with a man attempting to self-immolate in protest.
Issued on: 06/10/2024 -
The pro-Palestinian protest began and ended outside the White House in Washington, with demonstrators demanding an end to US aid to Israel
© MATTHEW HATCHER / AFP
The marches were part of a worldwide day of action against the devastating war, which has recently seen Israel intensify its military operations into Lebanon.
The war was sparked on October 7 when Palestinian armed group Hamas attacked Israel, resulting in the deaths of 1,205 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on Israeli official figures that include hostages killed in captivity.
More than 41,825 Palestinians, a majority of them civilians, have been killed in Israel's military campaign in the Gaza Strip since the war began, according to data provided by the health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza. The UN has acknowledged the figures as reliable.
In Washington, more than a thousand angry protesters demonstrated outside the White House, with many demanding an end to US military and other aid to its strategic ally, Israel.
In New York, pro-Palestine demonstrators walked in the city's Midtown neighbourhood, waving flags and holding signs © Leonardo Munoz / AFP
"The US government has really shown what side of history it is on," Zaid Khatib, an organizer with the Palestinian Youth Movement, told AFP.
"The US government has performed and co-signed the most evil atrocities that we've seen of this century."
Protesters waved Palestinian and Lebanese flags, among others, with many holding up signs and chanting in unison to demonstrate solidarity with the Palestinian cause.
Almost two hours into the protest, a man approached the demonstration site and attempted to set himself on fire, AFP journalists saw.
He succeeded in lighting his left arm ablaze before bystanders and police rushed to his aid, dousing him with water and extinguishing the flames using their keffiyehs, traditional Palestinian scarves.
"I'm a journalist and we neglect it, we spread the misinformation," he shouted, in between screams of pain as the fire on his arm was put out.
Police said the man was being treated for "non-life threatening injuries."
'Ethnic cleansing'
In New York, thousands marched in the city's famed Times Square neighborhood, some carrying pictures of people killed by Israel's military offensive in Gaza, which has left much of the territory in rubble.
Among those marching was Cornel West, a prominent rights activist and an independent candidate running in the US presidential election.
"I'm here to forever be in solidarity with people undergoing a vicious genocide," he told AFP. "Dealing with ethnic cleansing it's getting worse, it's been a whole year now. You know, we got to keep fighting."
The United States is one of Israel's closest allies, providing billions in military assistance -- a subject that protesters in both cities focused on.
Police at the protest in Washington maintained a perimeter around the demonstration © Ting Shen / AFP
"As an American we're tired of our tax money going to Israel to bomb kids in Palestine and then Lebanon," said Daniel Perez, a New York resident.
Protesters also took to the street in Los Angeles, many holding signs calling for an end to "genocide" in Gaza.
In Washington, protesters' cries for "justice" and "peace" reverberated off office buildings in downtown, with the crowd animated by a mix of righteous anger and raucous solidarity.
Laila, an American of Palestinian and Lebanese descent, told AFP the past year had left her disillusioned with her country's leaders -- so much so that she was unlikely to vote in November.
"It all disgusts me now," she said. "It's all a lie."
© 2024 AFP
The marches were part of a worldwide day of action against the devastating war, which has recently seen Israel intensify its military operations into Lebanon.
The war was sparked on October 7 when Palestinian armed group Hamas attacked Israel, resulting in the deaths of 1,205 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on Israeli official figures that include hostages killed in captivity.
More than 41,825 Palestinians, a majority of them civilians, have been killed in Israel's military campaign in the Gaza Strip since the war began, according to data provided by the health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza. The UN has acknowledged the figures as reliable.
In Washington, more than a thousand angry protesters demonstrated outside the White House, with many demanding an end to US military and other aid to its strategic ally, Israel.
In New York, pro-Palestine demonstrators walked in the city's Midtown neighbourhood, waving flags and holding signs © Leonardo Munoz / AFP"The US government has really shown what side of history it is on," Zaid Khatib, an organizer with the Palestinian Youth Movement, told AFP.
"The US government has performed and co-signed the most evil atrocities that we've seen of this century."
Protesters waved Palestinian and Lebanese flags, among others, with many holding up signs and chanting in unison to demonstrate solidarity with the Palestinian cause.
Almost two hours into the protest, a man approached the demonstration site and attempted to set himself on fire, AFP journalists saw.
He succeeded in lighting his left arm ablaze before bystanders and police rushed to his aid, dousing him with water and extinguishing the flames using their keffiyehs, traditional Palestinian scarves.
"I'm a journalist and we neglect it, we spread the misinformation," he shouted, in between screams of pain as the fire on his arm was put out.
Police said the man was being treated for "non-life threatening injuries."
'Ethnic cleansing'
In New York, thousands marched in the city's famed Times Square neighborhood, some carrying pictures of people killed by Israel's military offensive in Gaza, which has left much of the territory in rubble.
Among those marching was Cornel West, a prominent rights activist and an independent candidate running in the US presidential election.
"I'm here to forever be in solidarity with people undergoing a vicious genocide," he told AFP. "Dealing with ethnic cleansing it's getting worse, it's been a whole year now. You know, we got to keep fighting."
The United States is one of Israel's closest allies, providing billions in military assistance -- a subject that protesters in both cities focused on.
Police at the protest in Washington maintained a perimeter around the demonstration © Ting Shen / AFP"As an American we're tired of our tax money going to Israel to bomb kids in Palestine and then Lebanon," said Daniel Perez, a New York resident.
Protesters also took to the street in Los Angeles, many holding signs calling for an end to "genocide" in Gaza.
In Washington, protesters' cries for "justice" and "peace" reverberated off office buildings in downtown, with the crowd animated by a mix of righteous anger and raucous solidarity.
Laila, an American of Palestinian and Lebanese descent, told AFP the past year had left her disillusioned with her country's leaders -- so much so that she was unlikely to vote in November.
"It all disgusts me now," she said. "It's all a lie."
© 2024 AFP
Protests in Berlin and many major cities as October 7
People in Berlin rallied in support of both Israelis as well as Palestinians and Lebanese in rival demonstrations almost a year after Hamas' October 7 attack. Protesters mobilized in many other cities the world over.
Police kept space between participants in a number of rallies across Berlin on Saturday
Police in Berlin said 500 officers were in action on Saturday amid a series of rival protests in the German capital, some showing support for Israel and others for Palestinians or Lebanese people.
Several participants at a demonstration in front of Humboldt University in the city center carried Israeli flags and signs and placards showing their support for Israel.
Several participants at a demonstration in front of Humboldt University in the city center carried Israeli flags and signs and placards showing their support for Israel.
Berlin police were on hand at demonstrations around the cityImage: Christian Mang/REUTERS
Nearby, a series of empty chairs bearing the photographs of people taken hostage by Hamas on October 7 and still in captivity was on display, with the caption "kidnapped" written in German above each portrait.
Rival rallies in other parts of Berlin
In other parts of the city, around a thousand protesters called for a halt to fighting in Gaza and in Lebanon, many waving Palestinian flags and carrying banners, some accusing Israel of "genocide" in Gaza.
Nearby, a series of empty chairs bearing the photographs of people taken hostage by Hamas on October 7 and still in captivity was on display, with the caption "kidnapped" written in German above each portrait.
Rival rallies in other parts of Berlin
In other parts of the city, around a thousand protesters called for a halt to fighting in Gaza and in Lebanon, many waving Palestinian flags and carrying banners, some accusing Israel of "genocide" in Gaza.
These protesters gathered near the memorial to the Cold War Berlin Airlift, near Tempelhof AirportImage: Jörg Carstensen/dpa/picture alliance
At one point, scuffles broke out between police and pro-Palestinian protesters, news agencies reported.
Berlin police reported one case of people at a pro-Palestinian demonstration in the Kreuzberg district "repeatedly chanting forbidden slogans," which it said would be prosecuted.
The politician in charge of interior affairs in the city-state of Berlin, Senator Iris Spranger, told the dpa news agency that what German authorities deem antisemitic would be prosecuted by police in the coming days. More and larger events are expected on Sunday and Monday as the October 7 anniversary approaches.
"My position is clear: Hatred, defamation and antisemitism do not belong on the streets of Berlin," Spranger told dpa while appealing to participants to "express their opinions, their personal concerns and their protests peacefully, respectfully and without violence."
At one point, scuffles broke out between police and pro-Palestinian protesters, news agencies reported.
Berlin police reported one case of people at a pro-Palestinian demonstration in the Kreuzberg district "repeatedly chanting forbidden slogans," which it said would be prosecuted.
The politician in charge of interior affairs in the city-state of Berlin, Senator Iris Spranger, told the dpa news agency that what German authorities deem antisemitic would be prosecuted by police in the coming days. More and larger events are expected on Sunday and Monday as the October 7 anniversary approaches.
"My position is clear: Hatred, defamation and antisemitism do not belong on the streets of Berlin," Spranger told dpa while appealing to participants to "express their opinions, their personal concerns and their protests peacefully, respectfully and without violence."
The Lebanese flag joined the Palestinian one at several of the protests around Europe on Saturday, including this one in Rome
Yara Nardi/REUTERS
Jewish group official says October 7 an unsuitable date for pro-Palestinian protests
The president of the Central Council of Jews in Germany, Josef Schuster, said in a newspaper interview on Saturday that some recent pro-Palestinian demonstrations had been a "low point" for German society.
He cited "the scenes of celebration on German streets after Iran's rocket attack against Israel" earlier this week, and "the calls for open protests of hate towards Israel around the anniversary" of Hamas's October 7 terror attack.
Schuster told the RND network of newspapers that anyone who was unable on that anniversary "to feel at least a little empathy for Jewish people, for Israeli people, will never be able to do so — and that person has a serious problem."
Schuster said Germany's open society set up after World War II and the Holocaust in which the first article of the constitution begins, "Human dignity shall be inviolable," was at risk unless the rest of Germany recognized this problem.
The German government's commissioner tasked with combating antisemitism, Felix Klein, said he was observing with alarm not just rapidly rising cases of antisemitic crimes in Germany, but also protests "where hatred of Israel and antisemitic positions are expressed."
Meanwhile, the commissioner tasked with combating racism, Reem Alabali-Radovan, said it was not acceptable to place Palestinians or their supporters under general suspicion either.
Israel-Hamas-war: Berlin demonstrations ahead of October 7
October 7 is the anniversary of the terrorist attack on Israel, in which hundreds of Israelis were killed and kidnapped and which led to the Israel-Hamas war. Berlin already saw pro-Israeli and pro-Palestinian protests.
Pro-Israeli demonstration in Berlin
On Saturday, October 5, two days before the anniversary of the terrorist attack on Israel, there was a pro-Israel demonstration in Berlin.
People gathered in front of Humboldt University to protest against antisemitism.
Image: Christian Mang/REUTERS
Pro-Palestinian protest at the same time
At the same time, a pro-Palestinian demonstration is taking place elsewhere in Berlin. At the Platz der Luftbrücke, many demonstrators are carrying Palestinian flags, as well as a large banner soaked in fake blood saying "Stop Israel's bloody genocide."
Hundreds of police on the streets
A lot of police are deployed to prevent violence. On the social media platform X, police said 500 officers were on site. The police estimated the number of participants in the pro-Palestinian rally at around 500 and the pro-Israeli demonstration at around 650.I
More demonstrations coming up
There were pro-Israeli and pro-Palestinian demonstrations not only in Berlin but also in other German cities and around the world. Further demonstrations have been announced for Sunday and Monday — and the number of participants will likely be larger than on Saturday.Image: Christian Mang/REUTERS
She said that while antisemitism should not be tolerated at any protests, "There must also be a space for people, where they can point to the suffering of the people in Gaza or in the region."
Germany's government has also faced criticism for what some deem an overzealous attempt to police and regulate antisemitism, likely rooted at least in part in its 20th century history.
From Cape Town to Copenhagen — other demonstrations around the world
People also took to the streets in countries including Denmark, the UK, the Republic of Ireland, France, Switzerland and Italy on Saturday, mostly calling for a halt to fighting in Gaza and Lebanon.
In Rome, police fired tear gas and water cannons after clashes broke out. Around 6,000 protesters defied a ban to march in the city center.
Some 40,000 people attended the "National March for Palestine" in central London, organizers said.
Police were on hand in numbers, after some demonstrators had said they planned to target businesses and institutions they deemed to support Israel in the city center, including the British Museum.
In London, counter-demonstrators waved Israeli flags as pro-Palestinian marchers walked by. There were 15 arrests on the sidelines of the protests, according to police, who did not specify whether those detained were from either group.
A simultaneous demo took place in the Republic of Ireland's capital, Dublin, with some calling Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and US President Joe Biden "war criminals."
Some demonstrators in Dublin accused both the leaders of Israel and the US of being war criminalsImage: Clodagh Kilcoyne/REUTERS
In Cape Town, protesters marched towards South Africa's parliament in a protest organized by the Palestine Solidarity Campaign.
Similar demos took place in other major European cities including Stockholm, Copenhagen, Paris and Basel on Saturday.
mm, msh/sms (AFP, dpa, Reuters)
In Cape Town, protesters marched towards South Africa's parliament in a protest organized by the Palestine Solidarity Campaign.
Similar demos took place in other major European cities including Stockholm, Copenhagen, Paris and Basel on Saturday.
mm, msh/sms (AFP, dpa, Reuters)
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