Police used tear gas and water cannons to disperse rowdy demonstrators in Rome as tens of thousands of pro-Palestinian protesters took to the streets in major European cities and around the world on Saturday (5 October 2024) to call for a ceasefire as as the first anniversary of Hamas attacks on Israel approaches.
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Huge rallies took place in several European cities, with gatherings expected to continue over the weekend and reach their peak on Monday (October 7, 2024), the anniversary date.
In Rome, several thousand demonstrated peacefully on Saturday (October 5, 2024) afternoon, while a smaller group tried to push the rally towards the city center despite a ban by local authorities, who refused to allow the protests, citing security concerns .
Some protesters, dressed in black and with their faces covered, threw rocks, bottles and paper bombs at 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 was earlier peaceful, with people chanting “Free Palestine, free Lebanon”, waving Palestinian flags and holding banners calling for an immediate end to the conflict.
A protester waves a flag during a rally in support of the Palestinians in Sydney, Australia, October 6, 2024 | Photo: Reuters
Protest in London, Germany, New York
In London, thousands marched through the capital to Downing Street amid a heavy police presence. The atmosphere was tense as pro-Palestinian protesters and counter-demonstrators, some holding Israeli flags, passed each other. Clashes broke out as police officers pushed back activists trying to cross the cordon. At least 17 people have been arrested on suspicion of disorderly conduct, assisting a banned organization and assault, London’s Metropolitan Police said.
In the northern German city of Hamburg, about 950 people staged a peaceful demonstration, many of them waving Palestinian and Lebanese flags or chanting “Stop the genocide,” the DPA news agency said, citing a police count. Two smaller pro-Israel counterdemonstrations passed off without incident, it said.
Several thousand protesters gathered peacefully in Paris’ Republique Plaza in solidarity with the Palestinian and Lebanese people. Many waved Palestinian flags while holding placards reading “stop the genocide”, “free Palestine” and “hands off Lebanon”.
Pro-Palestinian demonstrators also gathered in New York’s Times Square to call for a ceasefire, chanting “Gaza!” to a drumbeat. Some wore kufiya scarves, waved Palestinian and Lebanese flags and held a large cardboard effigy of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu with red paint symbolizing blood on 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 US embassy in Manila, where police prevented them from approaching the waterfront compound.
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 barbed wire and concrete barriers, while more than 1,000 police officers were deployed around the compound.
The pro-Israel demonstrations are expected to take place on Sunday (October 6, 2024) as Jews around the world still celebrate Rosh Hashanah, or the Jewish New Year.
Request for an immediate ceasefire
Security forces in several countries warned of heightened levels of alert in major cities amid fears that the escalating conflict in the Middle East could inspire new terror attacks in Europe or that protests could turn violent.
Pro-Palestinian protests calling for an immediate ceasefire have taken place repeatedly in Europe and around the world over the past year and have often turned violent, with demonstrators clashing with law enforcement.
Italian authorities believe the timing of Saturday’s rally in Rome risks 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 terrorist attacks.
“This is not a normal situation. … We are now in a state of maximum prevention,” he said.
Ben Jamal, director of the Palestine Solidarity Campaign in Britain, said he and others would continue to organize marches until action was taken against Israel.
“We need to take to the streets in even greater numbers to stop this carnage and Britain being dragged into it,” Jamal said.
In Berlin, a procession is planned from the Brandenburg Gate to Bebelplatz on Sunday (October 6, 2024). Local media reported that security forces had warned of potential overcrowding due to the scale of the protests. German authorities have pointed to increasing anti-Semitic and violent incidents in recent days.
Earlier this week in France, Interior Minister Bruno Retailo warned the country’s regional prefects, expressing concern about possible tensions and saying the terrorist threat was high.
About 3,000 people demonstrated in front of the White House.
Amid an increased police presence, protesters gathered in Lafayette Park, the same location as the 2020 protests against police brutality and the killing of George Floyd. “Resistance is justified when people are occupied!” they chanted.
A speaker on stage called October. 7, 2023, “the day the people of Gaza finally escaped their prison.”
On October 7 last year, Hamas launched a surprise attack on Israel, killing 1,200 Israelis, taking 250 hostages and setting off a war with Israel that has torn apart much of the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip.
More than 41,000 Palestinians have been killed since then in Gaza, according to the Gaza Ministry of Health, which does not distinguish between fighters and civilians.
Nearly 100 Israeli hostages remain in Gaza, with fewer than 70 believed to be alive. Israelis have endured attacks — rockets from Iran and Hezbollah, explosive drones from Yemen, fatal shootings and stabbings — as the region braces for further escalation.
In late September, Israel shifted some of its focus to Hezbollah, which it is seeking to push back from its border into parts of southern Lebanon where the group is entrenched.
Published – October 6, 2024, 11:10 AM IST
