Police used tear gas and water cannon to disperse violent demonstrators in Rome, while tens of thousands of pro-Palestinian demonstrators took to the streets in major European cities and around the world on Saturday to call for a ceasefire to mark the first anniversary of the Hamas attacks. approached Israel.
Large rallies were held in several European cities, with the gatherings expected to continue over the weekend and culminate on Monday, the date of the anniversary.
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In Rome, several thousand demonstrated peacefully on Saturday afternoon until a smaller group tried to push the rally into the city center, despite a ban from local authorities who refused to allow protests, citing security concerns.
Some protesters, dressed in black and with their faces covered, threw rocks, bottles and paper bombs at police, who responded with tear gas and water cannons and eventually dispersed the crowd. At least 30 law enforcement officers and three protesters were injured in the clashes, local media reported.
The rally in Rome was rather peaceful, with people chanting Free Palestine, Free Lebanon, waving Palestinian flags and holding up banners calling for an immediate end to the conflict.
In London, thousands marched through the capital to Downing Street amid a heavy police presence. The atmosphere was tense as pro-Palestinian demonstrators and counter-protesters, some holding Israeli flags, passed each other. Clashes broke out as police officers pushed back activists trying to get past a cordon. At least 17 people have been arrested on suspicion of public order offenses, supporting a banned organization and assault, London’s Metropolitan Police said.
In the northern German city of Hamburg, about 950 people organized a peaceful demonstration with many waving Palestinian and Lebanese flags or chanting Stop the Genocide, DPA news agency reported, citing a police count. Two smaller pro-Israel counter-demonstrations passed off without incident, the report said.
Several thousand demonstrators gathered peacefully at Republique Plaza in Paris, in a show of solidarity with the Palestinian and Lebanese people. Many waved Palestinian flags while holding posters reading Stop the genocide, liberate Palestine and get rid of Lebanon.
Pro-Palestinian demonstrators also gathered in New York’s Times Square to call for a ceasefire, while drumming for Gaza. Some wore keffiyeh scarves, waved Palestinian and Lebanese flags and held a large cardboard statue of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu with red paint symbolizing blood on his face.
Rallies were also planned in several other cities in the United States and in other parts of the world, including Denmark, Switzerland, South Africa and India. In the Philippines, dozens of left-wing activists protested at the US embassy in Manila, where police prevented them from getting closer to the coastal complex.
Pro-Israel demonstrations are expected to be held on Sunday as Jews around the world continue to celebrate Rosh Hashanah, or the Jewish New Year.
This year, emotions will be high for many as the midpoint of the ten days between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur is October 7, the one-year anniversary of the Hamas attack that killed 1,200 Israelis and sparked the ongoing war in Gaza.
High security alerts
Security forces in several countries warned of heightened alert in major cities amid concerns that the escalating conflict in the Middle East could lead to new terror attacks in Europe or that protests could turn violent.
Pro-Palestinian protests calling for an immediate ceasefire have taken place repeatedly in Europe and around the world over the past year and have often turned violent, with clashes between protesters and law enforcement.
Italian authorities believed that the timing of Saturday’s meeting in Rome risked glorifying the October 7 attack, local media reported.
Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi also stressed that Europe is on high alert for possible terrorist attacks ahead of the important anniversary.
This is not a normal situation. We are already in a state of maximum prevention, he said.
Ben Jamal, director of the Palestine Solidarity Campaign in Britain, said he and others will continue organizing marches until action is taken against Israel.
We must take to the streets in even greater numbers to stop this carnage and prevent Britain from being drawn into it, Jamal said.
A march is planned in Berlin on Sunday from the Brandenburg Gate to Bebelplatz. Local media reported that security forces have warned of possible overreach due to the scale of the protests. German authorities pointed to an increase in anti-Semitic and violent incidents in recent days.
Earlier this week in France, Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau alerted the country’s regional prefects, expressing concern about possible tensions and saying the terrorist threat was high.
Thousands gather in DC
About 3,000 people demonstrated within sight of the White House.
Amid a heavy police presence, demonstrators gathered in Lafayette Park, the same site where protests against police brutality and the killing of George Floyd took place in 2020. Resistance is justified when people are occupied! they sang.
One speaker on stage mentioned October 7, 2023, the day Gazans finally escaped from their prison.
The crowd then marched through the center as police closed the streets for them.
Protesters carried signs criticizing the Biden-Harris administration’s handling of the issue. One read: Leave Harris ’24.
Law student Annette Tunstall said she considered voting Democratic after Biden resigned and Harris became the nominee. But she lost confidence after pro-Palestinian voices were muzzled at the Democratic National Convention, she said.
“I really wanted to feel like I could vote for her in good conscience,” Tunstall said. I don’t think it would have taken much for thousands of pro-Palestinian people to hold their noses and vote for Harris.
An exciting and bloody year
On October 7 last year, Hamas launched a surprise attack on Israel, killing 1,200 Israelis, taking 250 people hostage and sparking a war with Israel that has devastated much of the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip.
More than 41,000 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza since then, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry, which does not distinguish between fighters and civilians.
There are almost a hundred Israeli hostages still in Gaza, of whom fewer than seventy are still alive. Israelis have faced offensive missiles from Iran and Hezbollah, explosive drones from Yemen, deadly shootings and stabbings as the region braces for further escalation.
In late September, Israel shifted some of its attention to Hezbollah, which is trying to push the country back from its border in parts of southern Lebanon where the group is entrenched.
(Only the headline and image of this report may have been reworked by Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is automatically generated from a syndicated feed.)
