Thousands join pro-Palestinian rallies around the globe as Oct. 7 anniversary nears
"U.S. restarts offensive weapons sales to Saudi Arabia after lengthy ban "Hassan Nasrallah turned Hezbollah from an Islamist militia into a political force that will outlive him""
Related: dbergh, Context is important. [...] catani, Yes, and though it doesn't make any difference now, because Israel does exist... [...]Israel, added Barak, a former army chief of staff, is “risking a multifront war that would include Iran and its proxies.And all this is happening while in the background the judicial coup continues, with its goal of establishing a racist, ultranationalist, messianic and benighted religious dictatorship.” https://investorshub.advfn.com/boards/read_msg.aspx?message_id=175163550 [...] This Israel has no future in the Middle East https://investorshub.advfn.com/boards/read_msg.aspx?message_id=174949715 [...] Related: Ehud Barak: the military mastermind Israel loves to hate [...]Israel's yearning for experienced military leaders brought him back to political life after the 2006 Lebanon war and he became minister of defence. He seems to have a feel for what motivates his enemies and was widely quoted as saying: "If I were a Palestinian I would have joined a terrorist organisation." Barak also stated during a US television interview last year that he would "probably" strive for nuclear weapons if he were in Iran's position. https://investorshub.advfn.com/boards/read_msg.aspx?message_id=173530549 [...] Yes the terrorists took 250 hostage and killed some 1,200 people. Killing 40,000 in reprisal since and invading Lebanon is not a proportional reaction. And in no way is going to be positive toward insuring a safer, more peaceful situation for Israel in the future. https://investorshub.advfn.com/boards/read_msg.aspx?message_id=175179925
VIDEO
By GIADA ZAMPANO and SYLVIA HUI Updated 2:06 PM GMT+11, October 6, 2024
ROME (AP) — Police used tear gas and water cannons to disperse violent demonstrators in Rome as tens of thousands of pro-Palestinian protesters took to the streets in major European cities and around the globe Saturday to call for a cease-fire as the first anniversary of the Hamas attacks on Israel approached.
Huge rallies were held in several European cities, with gatherings expected to continue over the weekend and peak on Monday, the date of the anniversary.
In Rome, several thousands demonstrated peacefully Saturday afternoon until a smaller group tried to push the rally toward the center of the city, in spite of a ban by local authorities who refused to authorize protests, citing security concerns.
Some protesters, dressed in black and with their faces covered threw stones, bottles and paper bombs at the police, who responded with tear gas and water cannons, eventually dispersing the crowd. At least 30 law enforcement officers and three demonstrators were injured in the clashes, local media reported.
The rally in Rome had been calm earlier, with people chanting “Free Palestine, Free Lebanon,” waving Palestinian flags and holding banners calling for an immediate stop to the conflict.
Italian Police and demonstrators clash during a march in support of the Palestinian people in Rome, Saturday, Oct. 5, 2024, two days before the anniversary of Hamas-led groups’ attack in Israeli territory outside of Gaza on Oct. 7, 2023. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)
In London, thousands marched through the capital to Downing Street amid a heavy police presence. The atmosphere was tense as pro-Palestinian protesters and counterdemonstrators, some holding Israeli flags, passed one another. Scuffles broke out as police officers pushed back activists trying to get past a cordon. At least 17 people were arrested on suspicion of public order offenses, supporting a proscribed organization and assault, London’s Metropolitan Police said.
In the northern German city of Hamburg, about 950 people staged a peaceful demonstration with many waving Palestinian and Lebanese flags or chanting “Stop the Genocide,” the DPA news agency reported, citing a count by police. Two smaller pro-Israeli counterdemonstrations took place without incident, it said.
People demonstrate in support of Palestinians in Hamburg, Germany, Saturday, Oct. 5, 2024. (Georg Wendt/dpa via AP)
Several thousands protesters gathered peacefully at Paris’ Republique Plaza in a show of solidarity with the Palestinian and Lebanese people. Many were waving Palestinian flags while holding posters reading ”stop the genocide,” “free Palestine,” and “hands off Lebanon.”
Pro-Palestinian demonstrators also gathered at New York’s Times Square to call for a cease-fire, chanting “Gaza!” to a drumbeat. Some wore keffiyeh scarfs, waved Palestinian and Lebanese flags and held a large cardboard image of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu with red paint symbolizing blood across his face.
Rallies were also planned in several other cities in the United States as well as in other parts of the world, including Denmark, Switzerland, South Africa and India. In the Philippines, dozens of left-wing activists protested near the U.S. Embassy in Manila, where police prevented them from getting closer to the seaside compound.
Activists tear a U.S. flag during a rally near the U.S. Embassy in Manila Saturday, Oct. 5, 2024, as they hold a protest to observe the first-year anniversary of the war in Gaza.(AP Photo/Gerard V. Carreon)
Demonstrators participate in a pro-Palestinian protest in Bengaluru, India, Saturday, Oct. 5, 2024. (AP Photo/Aijaz Rahi) Palestinian
In Indonesia’s capital, Jakarta, thousands of pro-Palestinian protesters marched to the heavily guarded U.S. Embassy on Sunday. Authorities blocked roads leading to the embassy with razor wire and concrete barriers as more than 1,000 police were deployed around the compound.
Pro-Israeli demonstrations are expected to be held Sunday because Jews across the world are still observing Rosh Hashana, or the Jewish new year.
Security forces in several countries warned of heightened levels of alert in major cities, amid concerns that the escalating conflict in the Middle East .. https://apnews.com/hub/israel-hamas-war .. could inspire new terror attacks in Europe or that the protests could turn violent.
Pro-Palestinian protests calling for an immediate cease-fire have repeatedly taken place across Europe and around the globe in the past year and have often turned violent .. https://apnews.com/live/college-protests-palestine-updates , with confrontations between demonstrators and law enforcement officers.
Italian authorities believed that the timing of Saturday’s rally in Rome risked the Oct. 7 attack being “glorified,” local media reported.
Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi also stressed that, ahead of the key anniversary, Europe is on high alert for potential terror attacks.
“This is not a normal situation. … We are already in a condition of maximum prevention,” he said.
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 being drawn into it,” Jamal said.
In Berlin, a march is scheduled from the Brandenburg Gate to Bebelplatz on Sunday. Local media reported that security forces have warned of potential overload because of the scale of protests. German authorities pointed to increasing antisemitic and violent incidents in recent days.
Earlier this week in France, Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau warned the country’s regional prefects, expressing concern about possible tensions and saying that the terrorist threat was high.
Thousands rally in DC
About 3,000 people demonstrated within sight of the White House.
Amid a heavy police presence, the protesters gathered at Lafayette Park, the same site as 2020 protests against police brutality and the killing of George Floyd. “Resistance is justified when people are occupied!” they chanted.
One speaker on stage called Oct. 7, 2023, “the day that Gazans finally broke out of their prison.”
The crowds then marched through downtown, with police closing streets ahead of them.
Protesters carried signs criticizing the Biden-Harris administration’s handling of the issue. One read: “Abandon Harris ’24.”
Law student Annette Tunstall said she considered voting Democratic after Biden stepped down and Harris became the candidate. But she lost faith 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 a lot for thousands of pro-Palestinian people to hold their nose and vote for Harris.”
A tense and bloody year
On Oct. 7 last year, Hamas launched a surprise attack into Israel, killing 1,200 Israelis, taking 250 people hostage and setting off a war with Israel that has shattered much of the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip.
More than 41,000 Palestinians have been killed since then in Gaza, according to the Gaza Health Ministry, which does not differentiate between fighters and civilians.
Hui reported from London. AP journalists Sylvie Corbet in Paris, Jamey Keaten in Geneva, John Minchillo in New York, Ashraf Khalil in Washington and Niniek Karmini in Jakarta, Indonesia, contributed to this story.
Hui, based in London, reports on UK news for The Associated Press with particular interest in foreign and social affairs and human rights. twitter mailto
OOps - Pro-Palestine protesters abandon October 7 rally in Sydney Sky News Australia
The main rally was held yesterday.
'Question your humanity': pro-Palestine protesters march in Sydney
Guardian Australia
2,084 views Oct 6, 2024 Supporters of Palestine have taken to the streets in Sydney a day before the first anniversary of the 7 October attacks by Hamas in Israel. Alongside calls for a ceasefire, protesters condemned prime minister Anthony Albanese, foreign minister Penny Wong and the media. Protesters said the Israeli government was committing genocide against Palestinians, an accusation Israel's leadership denies, saying the military operations are a legitimate response to the Hamas attacks Controversial pro-Palestine protests under way across Australia ahead of 7 October anniversary Transcript https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZB1K1W4_5M8
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