It’s possible that I shall make an ass of myself. But in that case one can always get out of it with a little dialectic. I have, of course, so worded my proposition as to be right either way (K.Marx, Letter to F.Engels on the Indian Mutiny)
Saturday, November 04, 2023
Global protests demand an immediate halt to Israeli bombing of Gaza In the U.S., thousands converged on the capital to protest the Biden administration’s support of Israel and its continued military campaign in Gaza.
Anti-war activists rally during a pro-Palestinian demonstration asking to cease fire in Gaza, at Freedom Plaza in Washington. Jose Luis Magana / AP
From Washington to Milan to Paris, tens of thousands of pro-Palestinian demonstrators marched Saturday, calling for a halt to Israel's bombardment of Gaza.
The marches reflected growing disquiet about the mounting civilian casualty toll and suffering from the Israel-Hamas war. Protesters, particularly in countries with large Muslim populations, including the U.S., U.K. and France, expressed disillusionment with their governments for supporting Israel while its bombardments of hospitals and residential areas in the Gaza strip intensify.
The Palestinian death toll in the Israel-Hamas war has reached 9,448, according to the Hamas-run Health Ministry in Gaza. In Israel, more than 1,400 people have been killed, most of them in the Oct. 7 Hamas attack that started the war.
In the U.S., thousands converged on the nation's capital to protest the Biden administration's support of Israel and its continued military campaign in Gaza. "From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free," demonstrators donning black and white keffiyehs chanted as an enormous Palestinian flag was unfurled by a crowd that filled Pennsylvania Avenue — the street leading up to the White House.
Leveling direct criticism of President Joe Biden, Renad Dayem of Cleveland said she made the trip with her family so her children would know "the Palestinian people are resilient — and we want a leader who won't be a puppet to the Israeli government."
Dozens of small white body bags with the names of children killed by Israeli missiles lined the street and demonstrators held signs calling for an immediate cease-fire.
Protesters held signs and banners with messages such as "Biden betrays us" and "In November we remember," highlighting how the issue could be a factor in Biden's reelection bid.
Jinane Ennasri, a 27 year-old New York resident, said the Biden administration's support of Israel despite the thousands of Palestinian deaths has made her rethink voting in the 2024 presidential election, where Biden will likely face GOP front-runner Donald Trump. "We thought he would represent us, but he doesn't," she said, "and our generation is not afraid to put elected officials in their place."
Ennasri, like many demonstrators, said they would likely sit out the 2024 election.
Israel claimed it targeted the ambulance because it was being used by Hamas. Fifteen people were killed and 60 others were injured in the air strike.LEARN MORE
Biden was in Rehoboth, Delaware, for the weekend and didn't comment on the protests. In a brief exchange with reporters as he left St. Edmond Roman Catholic Church on Saturday, he suggested there has been some forward movement in the U.S efforts to persuade Israel to agree to a humanitarian pause, answering "yes" when asked if there was progress.
Steve Strauss, a 73 year-old Baltimore resident, said he is one of many Jewish people protesting Israel's treatment of Palestinians. "They are trying to kill as many Palestinians as they can get away with," Strauss said. "I am here to stand up and be a voice for the people who are oppressed."
In Paris, several thousand protesters called for an immediate cease-fire in Gaza and some shouted "Israel, assassin!"
Banners on a sound-system truck at the Paris march through rain-dampened streets read: "Stop the massacre in Gaza." Demonstrators, many carrying Palestinian flags, chanted "Palestine will live, Palestine will win."
Demonstrators also took aim at French President Emmanuel Macron, chanting "Macron, accomplice."
Paris' police chief authorized the march from République to Nation, two large plazas in eastern Paris, but vowed that any behavior deemed antisemitic or sympathetic to terrorism would not be tolerated.
Multiple countries in Europe have reported increasing antisemitic attacks and incidents since Oct. 7.
In an attack Saturday, an assailant knocked on the door of a Jewish woman in the French city of Lyon and, when she opened, said "Hello" before stabbing her twice in the stomach, according to the woman's lawyer, Stéphane Drai, who spoke to broadcaster BFM. He said police also found a swastika on the woman's door. The woman was being treated in a hospital and her life was not in danger, the lawyer said.
At the London rally, the Metropolitan Police said its officers made 11 arrests, including one on a terrorism charge for displaying a placard that could incite hatred. The police force had forewarned that it would also monitor social media and use facial recognition to spot criminal behavior.
On Friday, two women who attended a pro-Palestinian march three weeks ago were charged under the U.K.'s Terrorism Act for displaying images on their clothing of paragliders. In its Oct. 7 surprise attack on Israel, Hamas employed paragliders to get some fighters across the border between Gaza and southern Israel. Prosecutors said the images aroused suspicion they were supporters of Hamas, which U.K. authorities regard as a terrorist group.
In Berlin, around 1,000 police officers were deployed to ensure order after previous pro-Palestinian protests turned violent. German news agency dpa reported that about 6,000 protesters marched through the center of the German capital. Police banned any kind of public or written statements that are antisemitic, anti-Israeli or glorify violence or terror. Several thousand protesters also marched through the west German city of Duesseldorf.
In Romania's capital, hundreds gathered in central Bucharest, many waving Palestinian flags and chanting "Save the children from Gaza."
At a rally by several thousand people in Milan, Matteo Salvini, a deputy prime minister, spoke out against antisemitism, calling it "a cancer, a virulent plague, something disgusting.''
In another part of Milan, a pro-Palestinian rally drew about 4,000 people and there was also a march by several thousand in Rome. Yara Abushab, a 22-year-old medical student from Gaza University, who has been in Italy since Oct. 1, was among the participants and described Oct. 7 as a watershed for her.
"They bombed my university, my hospital. I lost a lot of loved ones and right now the last time I heard something from my family was a week ago," she said. "The situation is indescribable."
UK
29 arrests and police injured after thousands gather in support of Palestine
People at a rally in Trafalgar Square (Victoria Jones/PA)
By George Lithgow and Kristina Wemyss, PA
Four police officers were injured and 29 people were arrested after thousands of pro-Palestinian protesters gathered in London’s Trafalgar Square demanding a ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas war.
They were arrested for inciting racial hatred, other racially motivated crimes, violence and assaulting a police officer, the Metropolitan Police said.
Demonstrators climbed on top of the square’s famous fountains as the mostly peaceful group waved flags and banners on Saturday afternoon.
But the force said some demonstrators had launched fireworks into crowds and towards police, leaving four officers injured.
There were scuffles with police as the evening went on, and smaller groups of protesters began moving away from the square.
More than 1,300 officers were on duty in the area, four of whom were injured, the force said.
At least one protester was seen carrying a banner which read “Let’s keep the world clean” with a picture of an Israeli flag being thrown into a bin.
An anti-Israeli sign is held up at a rally in Trafalgar Square (George Lithgow/PA)
A similar banner displayed at a protest in Warsaw was condemned by the Israeli ambassador to Poland as “blatant antisemitism”.
Other protesters chanted “from the river to the sea, Palestine will be free”, despite controversy around the slogan’s meaning.
Home Secretary Suella Braverman has previously branded the slogan antisemitic and claimed that it is “widely understood” to call for the destruction of Israel.
However, pro-Palestinian protesters have contested this definition.
Effigies of dead babies were left on the ground in Trafalgar Square, next to pictures of children and candles.
The Met issued a dispersal order for an area around the square which will remain in force until 1am.
An order was also issued giving officers the power to require someone to remove any item being used to conceal their identity, the force said.
Former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn and comedian Alexei Sayle were among those who addressed the crowd on a stage set up in the square.
Other speakers led chants of “free, free Palestine” and were cheered by the large crowd which filled the famous square in central London.
Police said “retrospective facial recognition” had been used to identify a 24-year-old man who was arrested on suspicion of a racially aggravated offence after he was filmed giving a speech.
Nine people were arrested for public order offences, including two that were racially aggravated, and three others for assaulting a police officer.
Two further people were arrested on suspicion of breaching section 12 of the Terrorism Act after they were seen displaying a banner appearing to support a proscribed organisation.
Protesters also gathered for a sit-in at Charing Cross station, which is near to Trafalgar Square in central London, on Saturday evening.
Earlier in the day, 350 people staged a sit-in protest which shut down Oxford Circus.
The demonstration stopped traffic during the shopping district’s busiest hours, following similar disruptive protests at major stations.
It comes after a week of similar disruptive actions at major UK transport hubs.
Effigies of dead babies laid out at a rally in Trafalgar Square (Victoria Jones/PA)
Met Police Commander Karen Findlay said: “The vast majority of people demonstrated peacefully during an extremely busy day in central London, with protests in a number of locations requiring a policing presence.
“It is disappointing that various splinter groups were again responsible for behaviour which has no place in London and we are determined to deal with this robustly. Fireworks were directed towards officers and four officers were injured.
“Today, we dealt with breakaway groups from the main protest quickly. Officers intervened to prevent further disruption, using the full range of powers at their disposal. This effective intervention ensured Londoners were able to go about their business.”
Protesters outside BBC headquarters in London call for 'cease-fire now' in Gaza
'Western media has never asked us to condemn the Nakba,' says sign carried by protesters, referring to Palestinians being driven off their lands in 1948
Burak Bir |04.11.2023 -
LONDON
Demonstrators in London on Saturday protested four weeks of attacks by Israel and called for an immediate cease-fire in the Gaza Strip.
Amid continued relentless attacks on Gaza, people continue to take to the streets in London in solidarity with Palestinians.
Gathering outside of BBC headquarters in Portland Place, the crowd opened up a big banner saying: "Stop arming Israel."
Other signs read: "Stop the genocide," "Cease-fire now," and "The Western media has never asked us to condemn the Nakba," or catastrophe, referring to Palestinians being driven off their lands in 1948, when the state of Israel was founded.
Carrying Palestinian flags and signs, the group chanted pro-Palestinian slogans, including "BBC, shame on you," referring to its coverage of the situation in Gaza, which the protesters called biased.
They also criticized the British government, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, and US President Joe Biden over their support for Israel.
Another huge pro-Palestinian rally was also expected to take place later Saturday in London’s iconic Trafalgar Square.
This week the Israeli army expanded its air and ground attacks on the Gaza Strip, which has been under relentless airstrikes since a surprise offensive by Hamas on Oct. 7.
Nearly 11,000 people have been killed in the conflict, including 9,488 Palestinians and more than 1,538 Israelis.
Basic supplies are running low for Gaza’s 2.3 million residents due to the Israeli siege, in addition to the large number of casualties and displacements.
Train station sit-ins for Palestine in Manchester, Glasgow, Edinburgh, Notts and Leeds
People staged train station occupations as part of a national day of action for Palestine The occupation for Palestine at Manchester Piccadilly station
SOCIALIST WORKER NOV 4,2023
Thousands of pro-Palestine protesters across Britain wanted to do more than just march on the national day of action on Saturday. In Manchester a massive 15,000 took to the streets. A group of several hundred then headed to the city’s main station, Piccadilly, and occupied the concourse.
“It was fantastic and inspiring,” Adam Rose told Socialist Worker. “And it was so important after the week of horror from Palestine. A small group of people left the march early to secure the station.
“Then much bigger groups of us left the march too and got the numbers up to about 300 people. The march organisers at the rally then told everyone to get down here, so by the end we had almost 1,000 people protesting in the station.
“Everyone was sitting down and chanting, and upstairs, in the gallery restaurants, there was an LGBT+ for Palestine banner—and a huge one against the genocide.”
Adam says the militancy of the protest reflects that protesters are feeling ever more confident. “We’ve already had three really big marches in Manchester, but today there were still people coming for the first time,” he said.
In Glasgow, protesters occupied the city’s Central Station before the main march started. The concourse was blocked by hundreds of chanting protesters. By the time they left to join a feeder march to the main demonstration their numbers had swelled to around 3,000.
Edinburgh had its biggest protest yet with some 4,000 people joining. The mood of militancy took them too as they occupied the main Waverley station.
In Dundee, where last week police officers arrested a march participant, some 750 people responded this week with fury at the cops.
They defied the clampdown and ragged against the British government and the Labour “opposition”. And crucially, this week they again marched around the town—in their biggest numbers yet.
Some 2,000 marched in Nottingham and then moved to occupy the railway station. While hundreds got in and blocked it, hundreds more were outside trying to join them.
One marcher said it was “the liveliest demo I have been on in a very long time” and added it was “inspiring to see all the young women leading the chants”. “And great to see the green and black smoke pyrotechnics which adds to the spectacle,” they said.
Hundreds of protesters in Leeds also occupied their station. Linda told Socialist Worker that the protest was planned on WhatsApp and then spread rapidly. “There were loads of young people there, especially young Muslim people—and it was really lively.
“The handful of police officers had no idea what to do about it, so they basically left us alone. And numbers grew as the afternoon went on. The main march in town was the biggest yet, so a lot of people came from there too.
“In the end we all left together and had a procession out of the station—and we looked really impressive. Lots of passers-by were filming us.”
Elsewhere the day was one of good-sized marches, with thousands on the streets of Liverpool, Sheffield and Cardiff.
Aimee from Bristol said some 4,000 people marched through city centre there, disrupting traffic and the shopping centre.
“It was amazing to be part of, and inspiring. All sorts of people are coming together for Palestine. I’ve been to the demos in London and they were incredible. But to be on Bristol with the streets crammed full of people was too.
“It was great to cause disruption. People spilled into the roads and stopped buses.”
In Cambridge around 1,200 came on the streets, the biggest in the city in recent weeks.
Despite reluctance from the local Labour Party to get involved, many trade unionists were on the demo. Protester Tom told Socialist Worker, “There weren’t as many as there should’ve been, but more than there has been.
“Trade unionists from the UCU, NEU and Unite were there—and many had clearly won arguments about Palestine in their unions. A lot of young people on the march really wanted to talk politics.”
A massive 2,000 people marched in Exeter and 1,500 marched in Rotherham, while hundreds were on the streets down the road in Chesterfield. Several hundred marched in Dorchester, Portsmouth and Plymouth on the south coast and in Lancaster and Halifax in the north west of England.
Edinburgh councillor Alys Mumford who was speaking at the Edinburgh protest said the gathering at Waverley station was "spontaneous" and "peaceful" after police interrupted their marching route.
She told BBC Scotland News: "I've been involved in Palestinian peace activism since 2008 and this is the biggest I've seen for a long time in Edinburgh.
"It is growing as people are realising that we are witnessing absolute horrific war crimes, the bombing of refugees, the bombing of hospitals, the bombing of refugee camps and children.
"That is one of the most powerful things about this protest, the amount of children here talking about how every child should have a right to life."
Protesters were heard chanting "free Palestine" and "ceasefire now". They waved flags and blew whistles.
A sit down protest was held inside Glasgow Central station
A large pro-Palestinian demonstration also took place in Glasgow on Saturday.
A sit-in was held in Glasgow Central Station, where protesters could be heard chanting "occupation no more".
They marched to the BBC Scotland headquarters at Pacific Quay for a rally.
Demonstrators in Glasgow staged a rally outside the headquarters of BBC Scotland
On Friday, protesters south of the border organised a sit-in at London's King's Cross Station after a demonstration was banned. Five people were arrested.
First Minister Humza Yousaf has repeatedly called for a ceasefire in Gaza.
On X, formerly known as Twitter, he said: "There is an acronym that is unique to the Gaza Strip, WCNSF: Wounded Child No Surviving Family.
"This acronym should be seared into our collective conscience, and haunt us.
"We need an immediate ceasefire so no more children suffer."
Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu has said there will be no temporary ceasefire with Hamas in Gaza until all Israeli hostages were released.
Israel believes more than 200 people were kidnapped during the Hamas attacks.
Thousands march through London in pro-Palestine rally to demand a ceasefire
Police had banned protesters from gathering outside the Israeli embassy Demonstrators held sit-down protests in central London before gathering in Trafalgar Square on Saturday. AFP
Large crowds gathered across the capital, holding sit-down protests at Oxford Circus and Piccadilly Circus, before marching to gather in Trafalgar Square.
Protesters also gathered for a sit-in at Charing Cross station, which is near Trafalgar Square, on Saturday evening.
Protesters held “Freedom for Palestine” placards and chanted “ceasefire now” and “in our thousands, in our millions, we are all Palestinians”.
Earlier the police had taken measures to prevent protesters from gathering outside the Israeli embassy.
London's Metropolitan Police said officers had made three arrests. In a post on X, police said one person was arrested for displaying a placard that could incite hate, contrary to terrorism legislation.
Britain has supported Israel's right to defend itself after the Hamas militant group killed 1,400 people and took more than 240 hostages in an attack on October 7 in southern Israel.
On Friday, British police said they were working with pro-Palestinian protesters to prevent unrest over the war in Gaza from disrupting Remembrance Day commemorations next weekend.
Chief Rabbi Sir Ephraim Mirvis, writing in the Times, said the lines between pro-Palestinian protesters and “those who support the brutal terrorism of Hamas” have become “badly blurred”.
Sir Ephraim highlighted a Manchester protest with a banner showing support for “Palestinian resistance” and said there was no ambiguity in the words used.
“Did every person who attended that march truly wish to associate themselves with acts of such barbarity? I sincerely hope that they did not,” he wrote.
A girl hands out sweets in Damascus to express solidarity with Palestine. AFP
“Nevertheless, it could not be clearer that, at the very least, the lines between those who wish only to advocate for the welfare of innocent Palestinians and those who support the brutal terrorism of Hamas have become badly blurred.
“It is imperative that we redraw these lines of moral clarity without delay.”
Met Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley has also responded to concerns from Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and Home Secretary Suella Braverman about the prospect of pro-Palestine protests on Armistice Day.
Ms Braverman warned protesters against damaging the Cenotaph - a war memorial in central London - a week before the annual Remembrance Day services.
She said any protesters found to have vandalised the Cenotaph should be "put into a jail cell faster than their feet can touch the ground".
Mr Sunak said such a move would be “provocative and disrespectful”, amid reports that tens of thousands of demonstrators are planning to take to the streets to call for an immediate ceasefire on November 11.
Demonstration organisers have pledged to avoid the Whitehall area where the Cenotaph war memorial – the focus of national remembrance events – is located.
Sir Mark, in a letter to Mr Sunak, said: “Like you, I recognise the profound significance of Armistice Day and the events that take place across the weekend in central London and in communities across London.
“We will take a robust approach and yesterday I set out our intent to use all the powers available to the [Metropolitan Police], including putting in place conditions, if required, to ensure events in Whitehall and the surrounding areas as well as other locations of significance across London are not undermined.”
Ms Braverman, writing on X, described any such protest as a “hate march”.
Thousands attend pro-Palestinian march in Manchester
Published
IMAGE SOURCE,ASHRAF IH TIMOL
Image caption,
A rally was held outside Manchester Central Library
Thousands of pro-Palestinian protesters have marched again in Manchester, calling for an end to Israeli attacks in Gaza.
It is the fourth weekend that rallies have been held in the city and elsewhere since war began on 7 October.
About 1,400 people were killed and more than 200 people taken hostage after Hamas attacks in Israel.
Since then 9,000 people have been killed by Israeli bombs in Gaza, Palestinian officials say.
Demonstrators repeated their calls for a ceasefire and an end to the Israeli occupation of Palestinian territories.
Earlier in the day, the North West Friends of Israel group held a vigil for the hostages taken in the Hamas attacks on 7 October.
They set up heart-shaped balloons attached to the hostages' names and photos in Manchester's Exchange Square.
IMAGE SOURCE,NW FRIENDS OF ISRAEL
Image caption,
Heart-shaped balloons were set up for Israeli hostages
Before last weekend's demonstration, Greater Manchester Police described previous events, which also drew thousands, as "generally peaceful".
Following large pro-Palestinian demonstrations nationwide, Home Secretary Suella Braverman said they were "hate marches".
However, she drew criticism from human rights campaigners, including the group Liberty, which described her comments as "inflammatory and dangerous".
Pro-Palestinian rally held at US consulate in Belfast
Publishe
IMAGE SOURCE,PACEMAKER
Image caption,
Pro-Palestinian demonstrators marched to the US consulate
About 6,000 protestors took part in a pro-Palestinian march to the United States consulate in Belfast on Saturday, police have said.
Posters displayed were critical of the US government.
The march then made its way to the consulate near Stranmillis Road and Danesfort Park in the south of the city.
Teddy bears were placed at the consulate's gate to represent children who have been killed in Gaza.
IMAGE SOURCE,PACEMAKER
Image caption,
Teddy bears were placed at the gates of the consulate
Israel has been bombarding Gaza with prolonged air strikes following the 7 October attacks on southern Israel by Hamas, in which the group killed 1,400 people and took more than 200 hostage.
The Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza says Israeli air strikes have killed more than 9,000 people.
Hamas is a proscribed terrorist organisation in the UK.
On Friday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said there would be no temporary ceasefire until all Israeli hostages were released.
Protesters March in Major Cities to Demand Gaza Cease-Fire
People attend a demonstration demanding a cease-fire in Gaza, an end to airstrikes and an end to forcible displacement of populations amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and Palestinian Islamist group Hamas, in Paris, Nov. 4, 2023.
LONDON —
Pro-Palestinian demonstrators staged protests Saturday in London, Berlin, Paris, Ankara, Istanbul and Washington to call for a cease-fire in Gaza and castigate Israel after its military intensified its assault against Hamas.
In London, television footage showed large crowds holding sit-down protests blocking parts of the city center, before marching to Trafalgar Square.
Protesters held "Freedom for Palestine" placards and chanted "cease-fire now" and "in our thousands, in our millions, we are all Palestinians."
Police said they had made 11 arrests. One person was arrested for displaying a placard that could incite hate, contrary to terrorism legislation.
Britain has supported Israel's right to defend itself after Hamas killed 1,400 people and took more than 240 hostages in an Oct. 7 assault in southern Israel. Britain, along with United States and others in the West, has designated Hamas a terrorist organization.
Echoing Washington's stance, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's government has stopped short of calling for a cease-fire, and instead advocated humanitarian pauses to allow aid into Gaza.
Demonstrators rally in support of Palestinians amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas, at Freedom Plaza in Washington, Nov. 4, 2023. In Washington
Thousands of protesters marched down the streets of Washington waving Palestinian flags, some chanting "Biden, Biden you cannot hide, you signed up for genocide," before congregating at Freedom Plaza, steps away from the White House.
Speakers denounced President Joe Biden's support of Israel, declaring "you have blood on your hands." Some vowed not to support Biden's bid for a second term in the White House next year as well as campaigns by other Democrats seeking office, calling them "two-faced" liberals who were "not a refuge from right wingers."
Others lashed out at civil rights leaders for not condemning the killing of women and children by Israeli bombings.
Gaza health officials said Saturday that more than 9,488 Palestinians have been killed so far in the Israeli assault.
Protesters gather near the residence of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem as the conflict between Israel and Palestinian Islamist group Hamas continues, Nov. 4, 2023.
In Paris
In central Paris, thousands marched to call for a cease-fire with placards reading "Stop the cycle of violence" and "To do nothing, to say nothing is to be complicit."
It was one of the first, big gatherings in support of Palestinians to be legally allowed in Paris since the Hamas attack on October 7.
French authorities had banned some previous pro-Palestinian gatherings over concerns about public disorder.
France will host an international humanitarian conference on Gaza on Thursday as it looks to coordinate aid for the enclave.
"We came here today to show the people of France's solidarity with the Palestinian people and our support for peace, for a peace solution with two states, an Israeli state and a Palestinian state," said Antoine Guerreiro, a 30 year old civil servant.
Wahid Barek, a 66-year-old retiree, lamented the deaths of both Israeli and Palestinian civilians.
"I deplore civilian deaths on both sides. Civilians have nothing to do with these actions. It really is shameful," he said.
Demonstrators protest in solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas, in London, Britain, Nov. 4, 2023. In Berlin, elsewhere
In Berlin, demonstrators waved Palestinian flags, demanding a cease-fire. One woman marched with her arm in the air, her hand covered in fake blood.
Hundreds of protesters gathered in Istanbul and Ankara, a day before a visit to Turkey by U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken for talks on Gaza.
Turkey, which has sharply criticized Israel and Western countries as the humanitarian crisis has intensified in Gaza, supports a two-state solution and hosts members of Hamas. Ankara does not consider Hamas a terrorist organization, unlike the United States, the European Union, and some Gulf states.
In Istanbul's Sarachane park, protesters held banners saying "Blinken, the accomplice of the massacre, go away from Turkey," with a picture of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Blinken together with a red "X" mark on it.
"Children are dying, babies are dying there, being bombed," said 45-year-old teacher Gulsum Alpay.
Footage from Ankara showed protesters gathered near the U.S. Embassy, chanting slogans and holding posters which read: "Israel bombs hospitals, Biden pays for it."
Thousands march in capitals around the world demanding cease-fire in Israel-Hamas war
Thousands of mostly young people filled the streets of downtown Washington D.C. on Saturday afternoon to protest the Biden administration’s support of Israel and its continued military campaign in Gaza.
“From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free,” chanted demonstrators. They wore black and white keffiyehs as an enormous Palestinian flag was unfurled by a crowd that filled Pennsylvania Avenue, the street leading up to the White House.
Dozens of small white body bags with the names of children killed lined the street and demonstrators held signs calling for an immediate cease-fire.
In Europe, pro-Palestinian demonstrators demanding a halt to Israel’s bombardment of Gaza marched in Paris, Berlin and other cities on Saturday.
The marches reflected growing disquiet in Europe about the mounting civilian casualty toll and suffering from the Israel-Hamas war, particularly in countries with large Muslim populations, including France.
The Palestinian death toll in the Israel-Hamas war has reached 9,448, according to the Hamas-run Health Ministry in Gaza. In Israel, more than 1,400 people have been killed, most of them in the Oct. 7 Hamas attack that started the war.
At a Paris rally that drew several thousand protesters, demonstrators called for an immediate cease-fire in Gaza and some shouted “Israel, assassin!” In central London, streets were blocked by protesters chanting, “Cease-fire now” and “I believe that we will win.”
People carry Palestinian flags and banners as they gather to stage a demonstration in support of Palestinians in Paris, France, Nov. 4, 2023.
Photo by Ibrahim Ezzat/Anadolu via Getty Images
Banners on a sound-system truck at the Paris march through rain-dampened streets read: “Stop the massacre in Gaza.” Demonstrators, many carrying Palestinian flags, chanted “Palestine will live, Palestine will win.”
Some demonstrators also took aim at French President Emmanuel Macron, chanting “Macron, accomplice.”
Paris’ police chief authorized the march from République to Nation, two large plazas in eastern Paris, but vowed that any behavior deemed antisemitic or sympathetic to terrorism would not be tolerated.
Multiple countries in Europe have reported increasing antisemitic attacks and incidents since Oct. 7. In a new attack Saturday, an assailant knocked on the door of a Jewish woman in the French city of Lyon and, when she opened, said “Hello” before stabbing her twice in the stomach, according to the woman’s lawyer, Stéphane Drai, who spoke to broadcaster BFM. He said police also found a swastika on the woman’s door. The woman was being treated in a hospital and her life was not in danger, the lawyer said.
In Berlin, around 1,000 police officers were deployed to ensure order after previous pro-Palestinian protests turned violent. German news agency dpa reported that about 6,000 protesters marched through the center of the German capital. Police banned any kind of public or written statements that are antisemitic, anti-Israeli or glorify violence or terror. Several thousand protesters also marched through the west German city of Duesseldorf.
People chant slogans during a “Freedom for Palestine” protest that drew thousands of participants at Alexanderplatz in Berlin, Germany. Nov. 4, 2023.
Photo by Sean Gallup/Getty Images
At the London rally, with hundreds of protesters, the Metropolitan Police said its officers made 11 arrests, including one on a terrorism charge for displaying a placard that could incite hatred. The police force had forewarned that it would also monitor social media and use facial recognition to spot criminal behavior.
On Friday, two women who attended a pro-Palestinian march three weeks ago were charged under the U.K.’s Terrorism Act for displaying images on their clothing of paragliders. In its Oct. 7 surprise attack on Israel, Hamas employed paragliders to get some fighters across the border between Gaza and southern Israel. Prosecutors said the images aroused suspicion they were supporters of Hamas, which U.K. authorities regard as a terrorist group.
In Romania’s capital, hundreds gathered in central Bucharest, many waving Palestinian flags and chanting “Save the children from Gaza.”
At a rally by several thousand people in Milan, Matteo Salvini, a deputy prime minister, spoke out against antisemitism, calling it “a cancer, a virulent plague, something disgusting,’’
In another part of Milan, a pro-Palestinian rally drew about 4,000 people and there was also a march by several thousand in Rome. Yara Abushab, a 22-year-old medical student from Gaza University, who has been in Italy since Oct. 1, was among the participants and described Oct. 7 as a watershed for her.
“They bombed my university, my hospital. I lost a lot of loved ones and right now the last time I heard something from my family was a week ago,” she said. “The situation is indescribable.”
Associated Press writers John Leicester in Le Pecq, France; Stephen McGrath in Bucharest, Romania; Brian Melley in London, Frances D’Emilio and Silvia Stellacci in Rome, and Kirsten Grieshaber in Berlin contributed to this report.
'Save Gaza': Thousands march in Berlin in solidarity with Palestinians
The participants, many of whom wore the keffiyeh — the scarf worn by Palestinian activists — gathered on the famous Alexanderplatz in central Berlin, shouting "Free Palestine".
The demonstration was called by several associations supporting the Palestinians. / Photo: AFP
Thousands have taken to the streets of Berlin in solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza amid ongoing bombardments by Israel.
"We estimate the number of demonstrators at around 3,500, but more are arriving," a police spokeswoman said on Saturday.
The atmosphere was calm at the start of the rally, and many protesters came with their families and children.
"Save Gaza", "Stop genocide" and "Ceasefire" were emblazoned on marchers' placards, according to journalists.
Many held Palestinian flags.
The participants, many of whom wore the keffiyeh, the scarf worn by Palestinian activists, gathered on the famous Alexanderplatz in central Berlin, shouting "Free Palestine".
The demonstration was called by several associations supporting the Palestinians.
Police had estimated there could be at least 10,000.
The organisers had said they expected around 2,000 participants, but the police had estimated there could be at least 10,000 and deployed some 1,400 officers to oversee the march, which is due to end at around 1800 GMT.
Israeli forces have encircled Gaza's largest city, trying to crush Hamas in retaliation for the October 7 raids into Israel.
The Health Ministry in Gaza says more than 9,200 Palestinians, mostly women and children, have been killed in Israeli strikes and the intensifying ground campaign.
"Save Gaza", "Stop genocide" and "Ceasefire" were emblazoned on marchers' placards.
Police had said they feared tensions at the demonstration following the ban on activities in Germany linked to Hamas and the Samidoun association, whose members are accused of celebrating the attack on Israel.
The ban was made official on Thursday.
Interior Minister Nancy Faeser has been criticised by the conservative opposition for delaying the implementation of the ban announced a fortnight ago by Chancellor Olaf Scholz.
SOURCE: AFP
Protesters take to streets in France to demand end to Israeli attacks on Gaza Strip
Demonstrators in French cities march in support of Palestine
Esra Taşkın |05.11.2023 -
PARIS
Protestors in France took to the streets in various cities Saturday to demand an end to Israel's ongoing attacks on the Gaza Strip.
Demonstrators marched in support of Palestine in Paris and other cities, including Toulouse and Lyon.
Protesters urged Paris to take action to secure a cease-fire.
The march in Paris, which began at Republic Square, concluded at Nation Square.
Tens of thousands participated, including members of the La France Insoumise, a left-wing populist political party that includes MPs Louis Boyard, David Guiraud and Rachel Keke.
Protesters drew attention to the deaths of children in Israel's attacks as they carried small coffins covered in red paint and toy dolls, while some raised their red-painted hands in the air.
They carried banners that read: "Free Palestine", "Ceasefire" and "This is a genocide, not a conflict," and chanted: "Israel is a murderer, Macron is an accomplice", "Gaza, Paris is with you" and "Long live Palestine."
*Writing by Zehra Nur Duz.
Thousands of pro-Palestinian protesters rallied in London, Paris and Berlin on Saturday calling for a ceasefire in Gaza after Iranians took to the streets against the United States and Israel.
– 30,000 protesters in London –
Amid ongoing bombardments by Israel after the deadly Hamas attack on its territory last month killed 1,400 people, the British capital saw a large turnout in support of Palestinians for the fourth consecutive week.
Israel’s bombing campaign since the October attack by Hamas has killed nearly 9,500 people, mostly women and children, according to the Hamas-run health ministry in the Gaza Strip.
Police estimated that about 30,000 attended the rally in Trafalgar Square, central London.
They said it had arrested 11 people, including one for displaying a placard that could incite hatred.
Many protesters waved Palestinian flags and held placards calling for an immediate ceasefire.
One group carried a bundle of fabric, representing a dead baby killed during the Israeli bombing campaign.
Sama Dababneh, 26, a Jordanian business consultant said she was tired of all upsetting images from Gaza.
“We came here to support the ceasefire,” she said. “We spend the whole week consuming the news and this is very draining, so this is our only form of outlet.”
Pro-Palestinian protests also took place in cities across the United Kingdom on Saturday, including in Sheffield, Manchester and Glasgow.
– ‘Free Palestine’ calls in Paris –
French authorities said 19,000 people demonstrated in Paris, while the CGT communist-led trade union put the numbers at 60,000.
“Free Palestine” placards proliferated in the French capital, where slogans were heard calling for a boycott of Israel along with shouts of “Israel terrorist state”.
Legal assistant Leila Gharbi, aged 46, held a Palestinian flag and demanded “an immediate ceasefire”.
Her 21-year-old student daughter Ines wanted “the barbary to stop”.
Retired 75-year-old Algerian Keltoum Alouache said she turned out “for the children of Gaza and Palestine”.
Around forty other demonstrations were called across France, with 5,000 people turning out in the city of Lyon, according to a police estimate.
– Children and families on Berlin streets –
Berlin and Duesseldorf also saw thousands march in solidarity with the Palestinians.
Many protesters came with their families and children.
“Stop genocide” and “Ceasefire” were emblazoned on placards and Palestinian flags were carried aloft.
German police estimated the crowd at 17,000 in Duesseldorf and 9,000 in the capital Berlin, where some 60 arrests were made including on suspicion of incitement to hatred.
Several placards playing down the Holocaust were confiscated.
– ‘Down with USA’ in Iran –
In Tehran, demonstrators gathered in front of the former US embassy chanting “Down with USA” and “Down with Israel”.
They set ablaze an effigy of Israeli Prime Minister Benyamin Netanyahu as well as the US and Israel flags in front of flag-waving crowds.
The demonstrations come on the Islamic republic’s “day of the fight against global arrogance”.
November 4 marks the day Iranians attacked the US embassy in 1979 and the taking of 52 American diplomats as hostages, which lasted 444 days.
Iran, which backs Hamas, has labelled the Israeli bombardment of Gaza “genocide” and lambasted Washington for its strong support of Israel.
– Biden denounced at Washington protest –
Thousands of protesters in the US capital Washington called for a ceasefire in Gaza, with some slamming President Joe Biden’s support for Israel.
It was the largest protest in Washington since the beginning of the Israel-Hamas conflict on October 7.
“This is a massacre, a genocide… a stain on our history, and I cannot accept as a citizen that my taxes are funding this,” said 24-year-old Amanda Eisenhour of Virginia.
– Pakistan traders out in force –
In Lahore, Pakistani traders took to the streets in large numbers holding Palestinian flags and placards saying “Save Gaza”.
– Senegal too –
Outside the grand mosque in Senegal’s capital Dakar, some 200 people gathered to support the Palestinians.
“I’m not here as an Arab or a Muslim,” said Farida Samane. “I’m here as a human.
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