At the start of a planned wave of protests worldwide, pro-Palestinian supporters gathered in cities in the UK, France, South Africa, Ireland and Switzerland to demand an end to the Israeli war on Gaza, which has killed nearly 42,000 Palestinians in Gaza.
Dozens of protests and commemorations are set to take place ahead of the first anniversary Monday of the Israeli war on Gaza that began in October.
Israel's military offensive has killed at least 41,825 people and wounded more than 100,000 in Gaza, most of them women and children, according to figures provided by the territory's health ministry.
At the "National March for Palestine" in London, familiar chants -- "ceasefire now", "stop bombing hospitals, stop bombing civilians" and "from the river to the sea, Palestine will be free" -- were joined by shouts of "hands off Lebanon".
According to the head of Europe’s largest Palestinian rights organization (PSC), Ben Jamal, Palestinians went through the “darkest moment” in the past 12 months in their enduring struggle for liberation, emphasizing that the rallies across the UK are “unprecedented” in British history.
“Massive crowds rally in London in solidarity with the people of Palestine and Lebanon in the face of the Israeli genocide campaign,” said Quds News Network.
Global marches
Zackerea Bakir, 28, said he has attended dozens of marches around the UK.
Large numbers continue to turn up because "everyone wants a change," Bakir told AFP.
"It's continuing to just get worse and worse, and yet nothing seems to be changing... I think it's tiring that we have to continue to come out," said Bakir, joined at the rally by his mother and brother.
In Cape Town in South Africa, hundreds walked to parliament, chanting: "Israel is a racist state" and "We are all Palestinian."
Pro-Gaza marches also took to the streets on Saturday in Johannesburg and Durban.
In France, hundreds of people marched in Paris, Lyon, Toulouse and Strasbourg to express solidarity with the Palestinians, AFP journalists saw.
Several thousand people came together in the Swiss city of Basel for a pro-Palestinian demonstration, with marchers calling for a ceasefire, economic sanctions on Israel and an end to Swiss scientific collaboration with Israel, the Keystone-ATS news agency reported.
Other pro-Palestinian protests were planned over the weekend and on Monday in cities including New York, Sydney, Buenos Aires, Madrid, Manila, and Karachi.
According to Reed Brody, a veteran war crimes prosecutor: “This last year has been devastating for the people of Gaza, however, it’s also marked a historic turning point in the use of the law in efforts to hold the Israeli government and its leaders accountable … All of a sudden, to people around the world, international law has become relevant.”
'Not good enough'
In the British capital, several protesters criticised the new Labour government, carrying posters reading: "Starmer has blood on his hands".
Prime Minister Keir Starmer has called for a ceasefire in Gaza and the release of hostages held by Hamas, as well as suspending some arms licences to Israel.
However, many at the rally said it was not enough.
Sophia Thomson, 27, found Starmer's stance "hypocritical".
According to Thomson, the size of the protests "goes to show the government doesn't speak for the people".
"As you can see here today, this is the true essence of what the sentiments of the UK are," she added.
"It's not good enough," said protester Zackerea Bakir, calling for the government to "stop giving a carte blanche of support to the Israeli government."
Heavy policing
London's Metropolitan Police put in place a "significant" policing operation ahead of planned protests and memorial events.
While the rally in London was largely peaceful, at least 15 people were arrested, including three on suspicion of assaulting an emergency worker and one on suspicion of supporting a proscribed organization.
Demonstrators march during a rally in solidarity with Palestinian and Lebanese people ahead of the one-year anniversary of the war between Israel and Hamas, in central Madrid, on October 5, 2024. AFP
Demonstrators holding placards wave flags during a Pro-Palestinian rally in Warsaw on October 5, 2024. AFP
A participant displays photos during a pro-Palestinian demonstration in Copenhagen, Denmark, on October 5, 2024. AFP
Participants march during a pro-Palestinian demonstration in Copenhagen, Denmark, on October 5, 2024. AFP
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