People join rallies across world to condemn Israeli genocide

Pro-Palestinian rallies have taken place in major cities worldwide, including the US, the UK, and other European nations, and countries such as South Africa, the Philippines, Indonesia and Australia.

Police used tear gas and water cannons to disperse demonstrators in Rome as tens of thousands of protesters took to the streets to call for an end to Israeli atrocities on the anniversary of its war on Gaza.

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 London, tens of thousands marched through the capital to Downing Street amid a heavy police presence. Scuffles broke out as police officers pushed back activists trying to get past a cordon and arrested at least 17 people.

Former Scottish first minister Humza Yousaf, who took part in a pro-Palestine march in London, criticized the British leadership for “double standards and hypocrisy” in its handling of the decades-long Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

At a pro-Palestine rally in Ireland’s capital of Dublin, protesters demanded an end to the Israeli invasion of the Gaza Strip, as well as recently intensified attacks on West Bank cities and Lebanon.

In the Swiss city of Basel, another pro-Palestinian rally drew several thousand protesters, the Keystone-ATS news agency reported.

Thousands others protested in the German capital of Berlin, chanting “Free Palestine, Free Lebanon, Free Gaza”. They carried a giant Palestinian flag measuring several meters while marching past the party headquarters of Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s Social Democrats (SPD).

One placard in English condemned “Israel’s genocide” while another read, “Germany’s silence is crime complicity.”

In the northern German city of Hamburg, people staged a peaceful demonstration with many waving Palestinian and Lebanese flags or chanting “Stop the Genocide”.

Thousands of people held a pro-Palestinian rally in Madrid, brandishing signs with messages such as “Boycott Israel.”

Pro-Palestinian protesters also marched on the Israeli regime’s embassy in Athens, which was heavily guarded by Greek security forces.

Rallies were held in the French cities of Lyon, Toulouse, Bordeaux, and Strasbourg. They waved Palestinian flags while holding posters reading ”Stop the Genocide,” “Free Palestine,” and “Hands off Lebanon.”

Several thousands protesters gathered peacefully at Paris’ Republique Plaza in a show of solidarity with the Palestinian and Lebanese people.

Pro-Palestinian demonstrators also gathered at New York’s Times Square to call for an end to the Israeli war, 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 held in several other US cities from Washington on the East Coast to Los Angeles (picture below), San Diego, and Seattle on the West Coast as well as in other parts of the world, including Denmark, Switzerland, South Africa and India.

In Indonesia’s capital Jakarta, thousands of pro-Palestinian protesters marched to the heavily guarded US 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.

In the Philippines, activists protested near the US Embassy in Manila, where police prevented them from getting closer to the seaside compound.

A massive group of pro-Palestinians gathered to rally in Sydney where the anger and frustration in the air was palpable as the crowd marched from Hyde Park towards George Street.

Pro-Palestinian protesters in Australia directed their frustration towards the country’s leadership, specifically targeting Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Foreign Minister Penny Wong.

They broke out in chants of “shame” aimed at the politicians, criticizing their perceived inaction and complicity in the ongoing injustices suffered by Palestinians.

The pro-Palestinian rallies are part of a planned wave of demonstrations worldwide by pro-Palestinian supporters gathering in cities in Europe, Africa, and the Americas to demand an end to Israeli atrocities.

Numerous protests and commemorations are set to take place ahead of the anniversary on Monday.