Gaza protests under way in Europe as arrests made in London

Mass rallies are taking place in urban centers across the United Kingdom, Italy, Spain, and Portugal to protest Israel’s occupation of Gaza. Tens of thousands of people are taking to the streets in major cities across Europe.

Several weeks prior, protests were planned in Spain’s second-largest city, Barcelona, as well as Madrid, while protests in Rome and Lisbon were reportedly prompted by Israeli forces intercepting a humanitarian aid flotilla headed for Gaza in an effort to break Israel’s blockade of the famine-stricken Palestinian territory.

One former mayor of Barcelona and more than 40 Spaniards are among the 450 activists who Israel detained this week from the flotilla’s boats.

More than two million people in Italy participated in a one-day general strike on Friday to support the people of Gaza.

In recent weeks, Spain’s government has increased diplomatic relations with the far-right Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government.

Last month, protests against the presence of an Israeli-owned cycling team repeatedly slowed down the Spanish Vuelta cycling competition, while Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez called the Israeli-occupied Gaza area a “genocide” and demanded that all Israeli teams be barred from international sporting events.

Hamas said it has accepted some of the elements of the United States president Donald Trump’s plan to put an end to the two-year assault, which has claimed the lives of more than 66 000 people and destroyed Gaza.

According to the town hall in Barcelona, police estimated that 70 000 people attended the demonstration on Saturday.

Barcelona’s long, narrow Passeig de Gracia, the city’s main street, was packed. People of all ages and many families turned out as well. Palestinian flags or T-shirts supporting Palestine were carried by protesters.

Hand-held signs lacked the phrases “Gaza hurts me,” “Stop the Genocide,” and “Hands off the flotilla.”

After making an hour-long drive from her home in another town to Barcelona, Maria Jesus Parra, 63, carried a Palestinian flag high. She wants the European Union to stop the horrors she describes seeing every day on television.

How is it possible that, after what Europe experienced in the 1940s, a genocide is occurring now? said Parra. No one can now claim that they were unaware of what was going on.

Arrests in London

Three Palestinian organizations, along with local unions and students, are organizing a protest in Rome. The protesters will start in San Giovanni and move on to Porta San Paolo. According to state broadcaster Rai, police anticipate tens of thousands of people attending.

Despite police requesting a postponement following the deadly attack at a synagogue in Manchester earlier this week, a protest in London in support of Palestine Action is also being held.

On Thursday, police shot the attacker, a British man of Syrian descent, dead in the attack in the city’s northwest.

At least 175 people were detained by police on Saturday’s main protest in Trafalgar Square, central London, at the scene.

As seated activists wrote slogans on placards expressing their support for Palestine Action, officers began removing protesters. The police yelled “shame on you” to the crowd.

In a show of support for Palestine Action, organizers objected to the police’s and the government’s requests to cancel the demonstration, which had been postponed prior to the attack.

Following Thursday’s attack, police claimed that the protests would stifle resources away from security.

In a post on X on Saturday morning, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer urged anyone considering a weekend of protests to acknowledge and respect the grief of British Jews.

This is in mourning, I tell you. Not to build up tension and cause pain at the same time. He said, “It’s time to stand together.”

According to local media reports, thousands of people have also taken to the streets of Dublin, Ireland, to commemorate the two years since Israel started its occupation of Gaza and demand that the Irish government condemn Israel.

According to the report, 16 Irish people were among the hundreds of people who were taken hostage by Israel after it intercepted the Global Sumud Flotilla.