Hundreds of thousands demonstrated in cities across Europe, the Middle East, and Asia on Saturday to show support for the Palestinians, as the Israeli army intensified its airstrikes and ground assault on Gaza. One of the largest rallies took place in London, where aerial footage showed large crowds marching through the capital, demanding Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's government call for a ceasefire.
Demonstrator Camille Revuelta stated, "The superpowers are not doing enough right now. That's why we are here: We are calling for a ceasefire and demanding that Palestinians have the right to exist, live, and enjoy human rights and all the rights we have." She added, "It's not about Hamas. It's about protecting the lives of Palestinians."
Following Washington's position, Sunak's government has not gone as far as calling for a ceasefire and instead urged for humanitarian pauses to allow aid to reach the population in Gaza. Britain has supported Israel's right to defend itself following an attack by the Islamist movement Hamas, which Israel claimed killed 1,400 individuals, mostly civilians.
The daily report from the Palestinian Health Ministry on Saturday indicated that the death toll in Gaza has risen to 7,650, most of whom are also civilians, since Israel began its extensive airstrikes on the enclave three weeks ago.
In Malaysia, a large crowd of demonstrators chanted in front of the U.S. Embassy in Kuala Lumpur. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, addressing hundreds of thousands of his supporters during a massive rally in Istanbul, declared Israel as the occupier, reiterating his position that Hamas is not a terrorist organization. Erdoğan faced strong condemnation from Israel last week for labeling Hamas militants as "freedom fighters."
Iraqis participated in a protest in Baghdad. In the occupied West Bank, Palestinian protesters in Hebron called on Saturday for a global boycott of Israeli products, chanting not to participate "in the killing of Palestinian children."
Across other parts of Europe, people took to the streets in the Danish capital Copenhagen, the Italian capital Rome, and the Swedish capital Stockholm. Some French cities have banned protests since the war started, fearing it would aggravate social tensions. However, despite a ban in Paris, a small march was organized on Saturday, and several hundred people also took to the streets in Marseille, southern France.
In New Zealand's capital, Wellington, thousands marched to Parliament carrying Palestinian flags and signs stating "Freedom for Palestine." Special restrictions were imposed in London to limit protests around the Israeli embassy.
The demonstration in the British capital was predominantly peaceful, although police reported arresting two individuals—one during the march after assaulting an officer, and the other on charges related to racism and public disorder after he was heard chanting racist remarks. The police estimated the number of participants between 50,000 and 70,000 people. London police faced criticism in recent days for not being stricter with slogans repeated by some protesters during another pro-Palestinian march last week, which was attended by approximately 100,000 people.
