Hundreds of thousands march across Europe to call for cease-fire in Gaza

By Anadolu staff

PARIS/BERLIN/VIENNA/THE HAGUE/MADRID/ROME (AA) – Hundreds of thousands of people marched on the streets of major European cities on Saturday to call for an immediate cease-fire in Gaza as the death toll in the Palestinian enclave exceeded 30,000 due to relentless Israeli attacks since Oct. 7.

Gathered at Place de la Bastille in Paris despite the rainy weather, protesters marched towards Place de la Nation in solidarity with Palestinians.

Carrying Palestinian flags, the crowd protested Israel's ongoing attacks and called for an end to bombings.

Calling for a boycott targeting Israel, they chanted pro-Palestine slogans, including "Gaza is not a prison, it is a concentration camp."

Speaking to Anadolu, Terasia Bradford, a US citizen living in Paris, said that he attended the rally to show his reaction to governments who are "complicit in the genocide" in Gaza.

Stressing that the US should end all financial support to Israel, he noted that countries like France should also impose sanctions on the Israeli administration.

Andrea Kallab, a Lebanese French citizen, said that what is happening in the besieged Palestinian enclave is a crime against humanity.

He compared what was happening in Gaza to the Holocaust.

- Thousands rally in Berlin

Thousands of protesters held a rally in the German capital Berlin in solidarity with Palestinians.

Gathering at the Neptun Brunnen square, the crowd called for an end to the occupation of Palestinian territories, and an end to arms shipments to Israel.

The protesters later marched towards the city center by carrying Palestinian flags and various signs, reading: "Free Palestine," "Cease-fire now," and "Stop the genocide."

According to the police, some 7,500 protesters attended the demonstration.

- Protesters march to parliament in Vienna

In Vienna, Austrian protesters held a demonstration at the Human Rights Square In Vienna, and chanted pro-Palestinian slogans.

Denouncing Israeli attacks, the crowds also reacted to Israel's planned military operation in Rafah, a southern Gaza Strip City, packed with more than 1.4 million displaced Palestinians.

Some 1.5 million Palestinians previously displaced by Israel's offensive on Gaza are holed up in Rafah, seeking refuge from hostilities.

Israel's reported plans for an offensive on the city have sounded international alarm bells, with many countries urging restraint or cancelation of the operation.

Speaking at the rally, Salah Abdel-Shafi, the Palestinian envoy to Austria, said that what is happening in Gaza is genocide that continues for 150 days.

Touching on Israel's Thursday attacks on civilians waiting for food, he noted that those who remain silent in the face of these attacks are "complicit" in Israel's massacre.

For his part, Hannes Hofbauer, an Austrian author and journalist, criticized Western media over their coverage of Gaza.

Rather, those who cover stories about "Zionist terrorism" and every voice that talks about "genocide" are suppressed, he noted.

Later, the crowd marched towards the parliament.

- Protesters blocked by police in The Hague

Dutch police stopped a pro-Palestinian rally outside the Israeli Embassy in The Hague and a planned march towards the Dutch parliament.

The protesters who gathered outside the embassy were directed to another area.

Police later surrounded the rally, and prevented it from marching towards the parliament.

Criticizing the Dutch government's stance on Israel, they chanted pro-Palestinian slogans, including "Cease-fire now," "Free Palestine," and "Shame."

- Women form human chain in Madrid

Some 3,000 women in Spain joined hands to form a human chain in protest against the US and Israel and in solidarity with Palestinians.

The protesters took a route housing US and Israeli embassies in the capital Madrid under rainy weather.

The protesting women also condemned the EU for being "complicit in Israeli crimes by remaining silent."

Organizers called for an immediate cease-fire in the Gaza Strip, denouncing Israel's decades-long policies against Palestinians.

- Thousands rally in Rome for end to 'genocide'

Thousands of demonstrators held a march in Italy's capital to denounce Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip.

Some 4,000 people gathered at the Vittorio Emanuele Square in solidarity with Palestinians, calling for an immediate cease-fire.

They chanted slogans like "Free Palestine" and "Murderer, terrorist Israel."

The crowd also criticized Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, carrying a sign featuring the two leaders, shaking their hands covered in blood.

One of the protesters, Vincenzo Brandi, told Anadolu that the ongoing Israeli war in Gaza is a "brutal genocide."

Referring to the dire humanitarian situation in the blockaded Strip, he noted that it is not just destruction but also "ethnic cleansing."

"I'm here to protest this. I'm also here to protest the fact that many countries, such as the US, Italy and some other European countries, continue to support Israel, which is objectively a criminal state," added Brandi.

- Day of Action for Palestine across UK

Thousands of people took to the streets across Britain, including various areas in the capital London, as part of the "Day of Action for Palestine."

Denouncing Israel's attacks, the crowds also protested against the UK's Barclays Bank in support of Palestinians.

They called on the bank to stop "bankrolling Israel's genocidal assault" on Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.

Along with many Palestinian flags, they also held various pro-Palestine signs and placards, calling for a cease-fire in the besieged enclave.

Israel launched a military offensive on the Gaza Strip after the Oct. 7, 2023 Hamas incursion, which Tel Aviv said killed about 1,200 people.

At least 30,320 Palestinians have since been killed and 71,533 others injured besides mass destruction, displacement and shortages of necessities.

Israel has also imposed a crippling blockade on the Gaza Strip, leaving its population, particularly residents of northern Gaza, on the verge of starvation.

Israel is accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice, which, in an interim ruling in January, ordered Tel Aviv to stop genocidal acts and take measures to guarantee that humanitarian assistance is provided to civilians in Gaza.