DEMONSTRATIONS IN SUPPORT of the people of Palestine were held in a number of cities around Europe today, including in Dublin, London, Glasgow and Berlin.
Israel has heavily bombarded Gaza since Hamas gunmen stormed across the border on October 7, killing 1,400 people, mostly civilians.
The health ministry in the Hamas-run Gaza Strip said the strikes have killed 9,488 people, mainly civilians and many of them children, leading to growing calls for protection of innocents caught up in the conflict.
The strikes on densely populated areas of Gaza, including some that have struck ambulances, hospitals and refugee camps, have prompted marches in support of Palestine over recent weekends in Dublin and elsewhere.
The most common message from all of these demonstrations has been a call for a ceasefire, which the EU, US and UK have collectively fallen short of demanding, instead favouring “humanitarian pauses”.
Another pro-Palestine demonstration was held on the streets Dublin today, making it the fourth weekend in a row to see such a rally.
Posts on social media showed crowds of people marching the streets calling for a ceasefire and chanting pro-Palestinian slogans.
Protestors carried banners and Palestinian flags as they marched through the city centre.
The Luas Green Line was temporarily disrupted by the event.
Another massive crowd out in Dublin today.
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📣 Ceasefire Now
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Thousands of pro-Palestinian protesters gathered in London’s Trafalgar Square demanding a ceasefire in the conflict.
Some demonstrators climbed on top of the square’s famous fountains as the mostly peaceful group waved flags and banners and let off fireworks this afternoon.
Protesters chanted “from the river to the sea, Palestine will be free”.
Former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn and comedian Alexei Sayle were among those who addressed the crowd on a stage set up in the square.
Other speakers led chants of “free, free Palestine” and were cheered by the large crowd which filled the famous square in central London.
London Metropolitan Police said 11 people had been arrested as of 5pm.
Protesters also gathered for a sit-in at the nearby Charing Cross station while earlier in the day, 350 people staged a sit-in protest which shut down Oxford Circus.
The demonstration stopped traffic during the shopping district’s busiest hours, following similar disruptive protests at major stations.
How many more civilians must die before political leaders listen to our global movement for peace?
— Jeremy Corbyn (@jeremycorbyn) November 4, 2023
Ceasefire now! pic.twitter.com/avvn756x1w
Thousands took to the streets of Berlin in solidarity with Palestinians under siege in Gaza.
“We estimate the number of demonstrators at around 3,500, but more are arriving,” a police spokeswoman told AFP.
The atmosphere was calm at the start of the rally, and many protesters came with their families and children.
“Save Gaza”, “Stop genocide” and “Ceasefire” were emblazoned on marchers’ placards, according to AFP journalists.
The participants, many of whom wore the keffiyeh, the scarf worn by Palestinian activists, gathered on the famous Alexanderplatz in central Berlin, shouting “Free Palestine”.
Many held Palestinian flags at the demonstration, which was called by several associations supporting the Palestinians.
The organisers had said they expected around 2,000 participants, but the police had estimated there could be at least 10,000 and deployed some 1,400 officers to oversee the march.
Police had said they feared tensions at the demonstration following the ban on activities in Germany linked to Hamas and the Samidoun association, whose members are accused of celebrating the attack on Israel.
The ban was made official on Thursday.
In Glasgow, demonstrators held up mock body bags in protest at the Israeli bombing campaign.
Activists held placards reading “Bombing hospitals is terrorism” and “it’s not conflict, it’s genocide” outside the BBC headquarters in Glasgow.
Bloodied “bodies” were held up in protest at the deaths of more than 3,000 Palestinian children killed in the past three weeks.
They were tagged with the BBC logo and accompanied by a sign that read “Every child’s future in Gaza lies in a body bag”.
Charity Save the Children has said that a child is killed every 10 minutes in Gaza.
The body bags were left on the steps of the BBC building in Pacific Quay, Glasgow, along with a sign reading “Israel kills weans”, and statues at a shopping centre in Govan were decorated with Palestinian flags.
A banner called for an end to the siege in Gaza, while a toddler held up a homemade sign calling for a ceasefire.
A man leading the demonstration appeared to be dressed as Yasser Arafat, the chairman of the Palestine Liberation Organization, who won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1994 along with Israeli leaders Shimon Peres and Yitzhak Rabin.
Activists filled Waverley Station in Edinburgh with Palestinian flags.
A sit-in was held at Glasgow Central Station and was attended by elderly people and babies in pushchairs.
With reporting from AFP and Press Association
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