Hundreds of thousands of people protested again on Saturday against Israel’s ground operation in Gaza. One of the largest demonstrations took place in London, where police counted between 50,000 and 70,000 protesters. The PA news agency spoke of 100,000 participants. Numerous pro-Palestinian protests also took place in Paris, Rome, Copenhagen, other cities in Europe, Asia and the Arab world. In Austria, 700 people demonstrated in Bregenz.
In London, protesters called on Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, among others, to call for a ceasefire in a largely peaceful demonstration. Despite the unauthorized demonstration, protesters made similar demands of politicians in Paris and Marseille, where police prevented protesters from moving. Several thousand people demonstrated in Berlin and Munich, among other places, where Israel was accused, among other things, of “genocide”.
In Istanbul, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan personally participated in a large pro-Palestinian demonstration and accused the West of being “the main culprit of the massacres in the Gaza Strip”. Erdogan called Israel an occupying power and renewed his stance that Hamas is not a terrorist organization.
There were also pro-Palestinian demonstrations in several German cities. The largest rally took place in Berlin, with several thousand participants.
According to police, around 700 participants took part in a Palestinian demonstration in Bregenz in the afternoon. The demonstration was “noisy but peaceful,” police told APA. However, several announcements must be made. The demonstration was organized by the Socialist Youth Vorarlberg (SJV).
In Malaysia, a large crowd protested in front of the US Embassy in Kuala Lumpur. Protesters also waved “Free Palestine” signs in New Zealand’s capital, Wellington.
There have been numerous protests in the Middle East itself, including in Baghdad and Hebron, where protesters have called for a global boycott of Israeli products.