Thousands Around the World Protest Middle East War as Oct 7 Anniversary Nears

October 6, 2024

Germany: Berlin Rally Calls for Firm Action Against Iran After Israel Attack — FILE PHOTO: Hundreds of Iranian diaspora and Israeli demonstrators gathered at Berlin's Brandenburg Gate on Sunday, April 14, 2024, rallying under the banner "Hands Off Israel! We stand together against the terror of the Iranian regime." The event at Pariser Platz was marked by calls for solidarity with Israel following the unprecedented direct attacks from Iranian soil. Speakers at the event highlighted the launch of hundreds of drones and cruise missiles by Iran as a significant escalation. The gathering emphasized the perception of Iran as not merely a regional but an international threat. The rallying cry at the Berlin demonstration noted that Germany and the EU should not hesitate to take a tough stance against Tehran. The perceived direct threat by Iran led to an immediate and severe reaction from Western nations, including Germany. Western states, alongside calls from the public demonstrated in Berlin, condemned the attacks and discussed potential responses. During the rally at Berlin's Brandenburg Gate, prominent speakers such as Volker Beck, Ottilie Klein, and Andreas Audretsch took the stage to express their strong condemnation of Iran's recent actions and to emphasize the necessity for a united, firm stance against the aggression. Speakers strongly advocated for severing all forms of cooperation with Iran, stressing the need for immediate and comprehensive actions against entities associated with Iranian aggression. They called for the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) to be officially designated as a terrorist organization. Additionally, the speakers proposed expanding sanctions to include Iranian proxies operating within Germany, such as specific Islamic centers known for their affiliations with Tehran. They stressed that these measures were necessary to prevent these groups from furthering Iranian interests and ideologies on German soil. Police heavily secured the protest. (Photo by Michael Kuenne/REUTERS./

By Leigh Thomas and Kanishka Singh

PARIS/WASHINGTON, Oct 6 (Reuters) – Thousands of protesters took to the streets in major cities around the world on Saturday demanding an end to bloodshed in Gaza and the wider Middle East ahead of the first anniversary of the deadly Hamas attack on Israel.

About 40,000 pro-Palestinian demonstrators marched through central London, while thousands gathered in Paris, Rome, Manila, Cape Town and New York City. Demonstrations were also held near the White House in Washington, protesting against U.S. support for Israel in military campaigns in Gaza and Lebanon.

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Protesters at New York’s Times Square chanted slogans like: “Gaza, Lebanon you will rise, the people are by your side.” They held banners demanding an arms embargo against Israel.

The war in Gaza was triggered when Palestinian Hamas militants attacked southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, killing 1,200 people and taking about 250 as hostages, according to Israeli tallies.

Israel’s subsequent military assault on Gaza has killed nearly 42,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza’s health ministry. It has laid waste to the enclave, displacing nearly all of the 2.3 million population and causing a hunger crisis.

In Jakarta, the capital of Indonesia, the world’s most populous Muslim-majority country, at least 1,000 pro-Palestinian protesters gathered on Sunday morning near the U.S. embassy demanding that Washington stop supplying weapons to Israel.

More protests were planned in several cities on Sunday.

In London on Saturday, counter-demonstrators waved Israeli flags as pro-Palestinian marchers walked by. There were 15 arrests on the sidelines of the protests, according to police, who did not specify whether those detained were from either group.

In Rome, police fired tear gas and water cannons after clashes broke out. Around 6,000 protesters defied a ban to march in the city centre ahead of the Oct. 7 anniversary.

In Berlin, a protest drew about 1,000 demonstrators with Palestinian flags, who chanted: “One Year of Genocide.” The war in Gaza has led to genocide allegations against Israel at the World Court, which Israel denies.

German demonstrators also criticised what they called police violence against pro-Palestinian protesters. Israel supporters in Berlin protested against rising antisemitism. Scuffles broke out between police and pro-Palestinian protesters.

Over the past year, the scale of the killing and destruction in Gaza has drawn some of the biggest global demonstrations in years, including in the U.S., which saw weeks of pro-Palestinian college campus encampments.

Advocates have raised concerns over antisemitic and Islamophobic rhetoric in some protests and counter-protests related to the conflict. Rights advocates have warned about rising threats against Muslims and Jews around the world.

The United States and other allies have supported Israel’s right to self-defence, but Israel has faced wide international condemnation over its actions in Gaza, and now over its bombarding of Lebanon.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says his government is acting to prevent a repeat of the Oct. 7 assault by Hamas.

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The war in Gaza has spread through the region, drawing in Iran-backed groups in Lebanon, Yemen and Iraq. Israel has sharply escalated a campaign in recent weeks in Lebanon. Iran launched a barrage of missiles against Israel this week to which Israel has not yet responded.

In Paris, Lebanese-French protestor Houssam Houssein said: “We fear a regional war, because there are tensions with Iran at the moment, and perhaps with Iraq and Yemen.” Houssein added: “We really need to stop the war because it’s now become unbearable.”

In Manila, activists clashed with anti-riot police after they were blocked from holding a demonstration in front of the U.S. embassy in the Philippine capital against Washington’s support for Israel.

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(Reporting by Reuters bureausWriting by Leigh Thomas and Kanishka SinghEditing by Philippa Fletcher, David Gregorio, William Mallard and Frances Kerry)