Pro-Palestinian rallies across Europe have attracted a large turnout, with many calling for the release of activists on board a flotilla carrying humanitarian aid to the area.
After Israel intercepted the 45-boat flotilla trying to reach Gaza last week, according to Rome police, about 250, 000 people showed up for a fourth day of protests on Saturday.
As many demonstrators carried Palestinian flags and wore black-and-white keffiyehs, many of them from the Italian capital, including children’s families, shouted “We are all Palestinians,” “Free Palestine,” and “Stop the genocide.”
The police reported that nearly 92, 000 people marched in Barcelona on April 7, 2018, while the government in Madrid reported that almost 70, 000 people did the same.
The Global Sumud Flotilla, which was intercepted on Wednesday, left Barcelona in early September and had been attempting to break the Israeli-backed Gaza blockade, which a UN-backed hunger monitor claims has become a reality. According to Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares, who spoke to the media on Saturday, about 50 Spaniards on the flotilla have been detained by Israel.
A 65-year-old pensioner who marched in Barcelona and carried a Palestinian flag on her back said Israel’s policy has been “wrong for many years and we need to take to the streets.”
Several thousand people also marched through Dublin’s craziest district to mark what organizers dubbed “two years of genocide” in Gaza. Spain ranks among the most vehement critics of Israel’s military offensive in Gaza, along with Ireland.
Speakers in Ireland demanded that Israel be subject to sanctions, a resolution of the conflict, and Palestinian involvement in any ceasefire plan.
At least 442 arrests were reported at a gathering in support of the proscribed Palestine Action group in London, according to police.
A Sumud Flotilla spokesperson, Helene Coron, said to the crowd in Paris that “we’ll never stop.” There were about 10,000 people there.
“Faced by this flotilla, it didn’t reach Gaza.” But she continued, “We will send another until Palestine and Gaza are free,” she said.
The right-wing Italian government led by Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has been criticized for its inaction in relation to the Gaza siege. In front of Rome’s main railway station on Saturday, Meloni accused demonstrators of graffitiing a statue of Pope John Paul II, calling it a “shameful act.”
Around 100,000 pro-Palestinian protesters on September 14 ordered the suspension of the Israeli team’s participation in the final stage of the Vuelta a Espana cycling race in the Spanish capital. According to Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, Israel should not be allowed to compete in international sports because of the conflict in Gaza, just as Russia has been punished for its invasion of Ukraine.
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Source: Aljazeera
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