Activist groups in several UK cities such as London, Manchester and Edinburgh, as well as thousands of people in Paris, marched this Saturday to demand that Israel end attacks on the Gaza Strip.
According to EFE, numerous videos posted on social media showed activists in different parts of the United Kingdom waving Palestinian flags and calling for an “immediate ceasefire.”
Three people were detained in Piccadilly Circus in central London after taking part in protests, one of them for displaying a banner that could incite hatred, according to the Metropolitan Police.
Scotland Yard also added that two other people were arrested for public order offenses and assaulting an officer.
Since the conflict began last month, protests have been held every Saturday in the British capital and other cities across the country.
The Stop the War Coalition, one of the organizers of the demonstrations, noted that several local protests organized in neighborhoods are expected this weekend, rather than one large march.
In London, thousands of activists gathered in Trafalgar Square to begin a march led by a Palestine solidarity campaign, while thousands of other citizens gathered in Manchester, according to local press reports.
Pro-Palestinian protests also took place in other places such as Belfast, Edinburgh, Cardiff, Liverpool and Leeds, where demonstrators demanded an immediate ceasefire.
Thousands of people also marched through the streets of Paris this Saturday, demanding an end to the blockade and the Israeli offensive on the Gaza Strip, as well as asking the French leadership to take a stronger position in favor of an immediate ceasefire.
The demonstration, called by a group supporting peace between Israel and Palestine, formed, among others, by non-governmental organizations, trade union groups and some left-wing parties such as the French Socialist Party (PS) or La Francia Insoumise (LFI), began from Praça da República towards Praça da Nação, early afternoon.
Despite the rain that sometimes fell on the capital, thousands attended the call carrying Palestinian flags and scarves, as well as placards and banners calling for peace.
French authorities estimated the number of participants at 19 thousand, but organizing organizations indicate 60 thousand people.
While the march’s message was in favor of peace and a ceasefire, there were also shouts at Israel and criticism of French President Emmanuel Macron’s leadership in the face of the crisis resulting from the attacks.
Today’s demonstration, which proceeded quietly, was authorized despite the fact that following the Hamas terrorist attacks, the French government banned mobilization on behalf of the Palestinians to avoid the possibility of violent and anti-Semitic actions.
Despite this ban, which was criticized by organizations such as Amnesty International, demonstrations took place in different parts of the country in the following days.
On October 7, Hamas carried out an unprecedented attack on Israeli territory, killing more than 1,400 people, mostly civilians, and more than 200 hostages it is holding captive in the Gaza Strip.
Israel then launched a sweeping retaliation against the impoverished Palestinian enclave, controlled by Hamas since 2007, with cuts in food, water, electricity and fuel supplies and daily bombings, followed by a ground offensive that ended the siege on Thursday. Gaza.
On October 27, Israel launched a ground invasion that had already advanced toward Gaza City, the main city of the Gaza Strip.
Author: Lusa
Source: CM Jornal
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