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.
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.
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.
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.
‘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”.—Agencies
