Protest marches from US to Berlin call for immediate halt to Israeli bombing of Gaza

PARIS – From Washington to Milan to Paris, tens of hundreds of pro-Palestinian demonstrators marched Saturday, calling for a halt to Israel’s bombardment of Gaza.

The marches mirrored rising disquiet in regards to the mounting civilian casualty toll and struggling from the Israel-Hamas war. Protesters, in particular in international locations with huge Muslim populations, together with the U.S., U.Ok. and France, expressed disillusionment with their governments for supporting Israel whilst its bombardments of hospitals and home spaces within the Gaza strip accentuate.

The Palestinian dying toll within the Israel-Hamas battle has reached 9,448, in accordance to the Hamas-run Health Ministry in Gaza. In Israel, greater than 1,400 other folks had been killed, maximum of them within the Oct. 7 Hamas attack that started the war.

In the U.S., hundreds converged at the country’s capital to protest the Biden management’s fortify of Israel and its endured army marketing campaign in Gaza. “Palestine will be free,” demonstrators donning black and white keffiyehs chanted as a huge Palestinian flag was once unfurled by way of a crowd that stuffed Pennsylvania Avenue — the road main up to the White House.

Leveling direct grievance of President Joe Biden, Renad Dayem of Cleveland mentioned she made the travel along with her circle of relatives so her kids would know “the Palestinian people are resilient — and we want a leader who won’t be a puppet to the Israeli government.”

Dozens of small white body bags with the names of children killed by Israeli missiles lined the street and demonstrators held signs calling for an immediate cease-fire.

Protesters held signs and banners with messages such as “Biden betrays us” and “In November we remember,” highlighting how the issue could be a factor in Biden’s reelection bid.

Jinane Ennasri, a 27 year-old New York resident, said the Biden administration’s support of Israel despite the thousands of Palestinian deaths has made her rethink voting in the 2024 presidential election, where Biden will likely face GOP front-runner Donald Trump. “We thought he would represent us, but he doesn’t,” she said, ”and our generation is not afraid to put elected officials in their place.”

Ennasri, like many demonstrators, said they would likely sit out the 2024 election.

Biden was in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, for the weekend and didn’t comment on the protests. In a brief exchange with reporters as he left St. Edmond Roman Catholic Church on Saturday, he suggested there has been some forward movement in the U.S efforts to persuade Israel to agree to a humanitarian pause, answering “yes” when asked if there was progress.

Steve Strauss, a 73 year-old Baltimore resident, said he is one of many Jewish people protesting Israel’s treatment of Palestinians. “They are trying to kill as many Palestinians as they can get away with,” Strauss mentioned. ”I’m right here to rise up and be a voice for the people who find themselves oppressed.”

In Paris, a number of thousand protesters known as for an immediate cease-fire in Gaza and a few shouted “Israel, assassin!”

Banners on a sound-system truck on the Paris march thru rain-dampened streets learn: “Stop the massacre in Gaza.” Demonstrators, many wearing Palestinian flags, chanted “Palestine will live, Palestine will win.”

Demonstrators additionally took purpose at French President Emmanuel Macron, chanting “Macron, accomplice.”

Paris’ police leader licensed the march from République to Nation, two huge plazas in japanese Paris, however vowed that any habits deemed antisemitic or sympathetic to terrorism would no longer be tolerated.

Multiple international locations in Europe have reported expanding antisemitic assaults and incidents since Oct. 7.

In an assault Saturday, an assailant knocked at the door of a Jewish lady within the French town of Lyon and, when she opened, mentioned “Hello” ahead of stabbing her two times within the abdomen, in accordance to the lady’s attorney, Stéphane Drai, who spoke to broadcaster BFM. He mentioned police additionally discovered a swastika at the lady’s door. The lady was once being handled in a medical institution and her existence was once no longer at risk, the attorney mentioned.

At the London rally, the Metropolitan Police mentioned its officials made 11 arrests, together with one on a terrorism rate for exhibiting a placard that might incite hatred. The police drive had forewarned that it might additionally observe social media and use facial popularity to spot legal habits.

On Friday, two girls who attended a pro-Palestinian march 3 weeks in the past have been charged beneath the U.Ok.’s Terrorism Act for exhibiting pictures on their clothes of paragliders. In its Oct. 7 wonder assault on Israel, Hamas employed paragliders to get some warring parties around the border between Gaza and southern Israel. Prosecutors mentioned the photographs aroused suspicion they have been supporters of Hamas, which U.Ok. government regard as a terrorist workforce.

In Berlin, round 1,000 law enforcement officials have been deployed to be sure that order after earlier pro-Palestinian protests grew to become violent. German news company dpa reported that about 6,000 protesters marched in the course of the heart of the German capital. Police banned any sort of public or written statements which are antisemitic, anti-Israeli or glorify violence or terror. Several thousand protesters additionally marched in the course of the west German town of Duesseldorf.

In Romania’s capital, masses amassed in central Bucharest, many waving Palestinian flags and chanting “Save the children from Gaza.”

At a rally by way of a number of thousand other folks in Milan, Matteo Salvini, a deputy high minister, spoke out in opposition to antisemitism, calling it “a cancer, a virulent plague, something disgusting.’’

In another part of Milan, a pro-Palestinian rally drew about 4,000 people and there was also a march by several thousand in Rome. Yara Abushab, a 22-year-old medical student from Gaza University, who has been in Italy since Oct. 1, was among the participants and described Oct. 7 as a watershed for her.

“They bombed my university, my hospital. I lost a lot of loved ones and right now the last time I heard something from my family was a week ago,” she mentioned. “The situation is indescribable.”

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Cetinic reported from Paris. Associated Press writers Aamer Madhani in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, John Leicester in Le Pecq, France, Stephen McGrath in Bucharest, Romania, Brian Melley in London, Frances D’Emilio and Silvia Stellacci in Rome, and Kirsten Grieshaber in Berlin contributed to this document.