Global pro-Palestine rallies prior to October 7
Thousands of pro-Palestinian demonstrators took to the streets in cities across the world on Saturday to call for a cease-fire ahead of the first anniversary of Israel’s onslaught on the Gaza Strip on October 7.
Massive rallies were held in several European cities including Paris, London, Berlin and Rome with the largest gatherings expected from Saturday to Monday. Events will peak on Monday, the date of the anniversary.
By midday Saturday, thousands had gathered in central London’s Russell Square amid a significant police presence. Some of the march’s organizers had said they planned to target companies and institutions they claimed were “complicit in Israel’s crimes,” including Barclays Bank and the British Museum.
In Rome, a few thousand demonstrators gathered in spite of a ban by local authorities who refused to authorize protests in the Italian capital, citing security concerns. Protesters chanted “Free Palestine, Free Lebanon.”
Rallies also took place in other parts of the world. In the Philippines on Saturday, dozens of left-wing activists protested near the US Embassy in Manila, where police prevented them from getting closer to the seaside compound.
Pro-Palestine protests calling for an immediate cease-fire have repeatedly taken place across Europe and around the globe in the past year.
Ben Jamal, director of the Palestine Solidarity Campaign in Britain, said he and others will keep organizing marches until action against Israel is taken.
“We need to be out on the streets in even bigger numbers to stop this carnage and stop Britain from being drawn into it,” Jamal said.
Protesters also took to the streets in South Africa and India to call for an end to Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza and Lebanon.
The Tel Aviv regime has killed more than 41,000 Palestinians – mostly women and children – in Gaza since last October. In late September, Israel shifted some of its focus to Lebanon to fight Hezbollah resistance group which has been exchanging fire with the regime’s occupation army in support of Palestinians in Gaza since the beginning of war in the Palestinian territory.