KEY POINTS
- Thousands protested worldwide, calling for an end to Gaza violence.
- Clashes broke out in Rome and Berlin, leading to arrests.
- U.S.-led efforts for a Gaza ceasefire have yet to succeed.
Thousands of protesters took to the streets in several major cities worldwide on Saturday, demanding an end to the violence in Gaza as the conflict in the Palestinian enclave approaches its first anniversary and spreads across the region.
Thousands protested worldwide, calling for an end to Gaza violence
About 40,000 pro-Palestinian demonstrators marched through central London, while thousands gathered in Paris, Rome, Manila, and Cape Town.
The war began when the militant group Hamas attacked southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, in a raid that killed 1,200 people and took approximately 250 hostages, according to Israeli figures. Israel’s response in Gaza has killed nearly 42,000 Palestinians and displaced most of the enclave’s 2.3 million residents, according to Gaza’s health ministry.
“Unfortunately, despite all our goodwill, the Israeli government does not take any notice, and they just go ahead and continue their atrocities in Gaza, now also in Lebanon and Yemen, and also probably in Iran,” said protester Agnes Kory in London. “And our government, our British government, unfortunately, is just paying lip service and carries on supplying weapons to Israel.”
In London, pro-Israel supporters waved flags as pro-Palestinian marchers walked by. Police arrested 15 people on the sidelines of the protests, but did not specify which group those detained were affiliated with.
Clashes broke out in Rome and Berlin, leading to arrests
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 before the Oct. 7 anniversary. In Berlin, about 1,000 demonstrators waved Palestinian flags and chanted “One Year of Genocide”—a term Israel disputes, saying it is acting in self-defence. Protesters also criticized what they described as police violence against pro-Palestinian demonstrators in Germany. Israel supporters in Berlin also protested, denouncing rising antisemitism, and scuffles broke out between police and pro-Palestinian counterprotesters.
Over the past year, the scale of the death and destruction in Gaza has drawn some of the largest global protests in recent years, sparking a wave of anger that defenders of Israel say has created an antisemitic climate, with some protesters questioning Israel’s right to exist.
The war in Gaza has spread to the region, drawing in Iran-backed groups in Lebanon, Yemen, and Iraq. Israel has sharply escalated its campaign against Hezbollah, the Iran-backed group in Lebanon, in recent weeks. Iran also launched a barrage of missiles against Israel this week.
“We fear a regional war, because there are tensions with Iran at the moment, and perhaps with Iraq and Yemen,” said Lebanese-French protester Houssam Houssein in Paris. “We need to stop the war because it’s now become unbearable,” he added.
Accoridng to a report by Reuters, while allies like the United States support Israel’s right to defend itself, Israel has faced widespread international condemnation for its actions in Gaza and now for bombarding Lebanon. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has defended these actions, arguing his government is working to prevent a repeat of the Oct. 7 attack by Hamas.
The United States has so far failed to broker a ceasefire in Gaza. Hamas demands an agreement that ends the conflict, while Israel insists fighting will cease only if Hamas is eliminated.
In Manila, activists clashed with anti-riot police after being blocked from holding a demonstration in front of the U.S. Embassy to protest American support for Israel.
More demonstrations marking the first anniversary of the conflict were planned later on Saturday in cities around the world, including in the United States and Chile. Some pro-Israel demonstrations are also expected over the weekend.
