Protesters worldwide – from Washington and London to Istanbul and as distant as Sydney – turned up of their 1000’s over the weekend to display in opposition to the brutal Israeli crackdown on Palestinians within the Gaza Strip.
While pro-Palestinian demonstrators have held large rallies in Muslim-majority international locations, increasingly nations throughout the Western world have clamped down on such protests beneath the pretext they may “disturb public order.”
Thousands of Australians ignored police threats Sunday to hitch pro-Palestinian rallies, the place they waved Palestine flags and chanted “Free, free Palestine.”
Hundreds of police patrolled the world round one of many largest rallies in Sydney, capital of Australia’s most populous state of New South Wales.
A police helicopter circled low over the occasion within the metropolis’s Hyde Park. About 5,000 folks attended, mentioned the organizers, the Palestine Action Group, whereas a Reuters witness put the quantity at about 2,000.
The rally was “peaceful so far,” mentioned a bunch spokesperson, Amal Naser, including that police had not deployed particular powers to cease and search protesters, a transfer they’d thought-about for the primary time in nearly 20 years.
Ayah, a Palestinian dwelling in Sydney, mentioned she was on the rally to “be peaceful, to support my country, nothing to do with burning flags.”
Another protester, Mustafa, whose father left Gaza in 1976, attended along with his three kids.
“We are not against Jewish people,” he mentioned. “They have been in Palestine for a long time, side by side with the Muslims and the Christians, we are all Palestinians. We are against the Zionists.”
Rally organizers mentioned they deliberate to march via central Sydney subsequent weekend.
Thousands additionally protested at pro-Palestine rallies in Adelaide, the capital of South Australia, and within the Victorian state capital of Melbourne, mentioned the Guardian Australia news web site.
‘End the occupation’
Thousands of pro-Palestinian protesters gathered within the U.S. capital on Saturday, marching previous the White House to chants of “Free Palestine.”
“What is happening today is just beyond the pale. It’s so upsetting, we are watching people being killed by an army that this country supports,” demonstrator Linda Houghton informed the Agence France-Presse (AFP).
Israel’s indiscriminate bombardment of the Gaza Strip, in response to a shock Hamas incursion final Saturday, has up to now claimed almost 2,400 principally civilian lives in Gaza.
Israel has additionally reduce off meals, water and electrical energy provides to Gaza’s 2.4 million folks.
“I wish we could all do something, I wish we could stop the war, just stop the war,” mentioned Ahmed Abed, one of many protesters marching via downtown Washington beneath a sea of Palestinian flags.
“They are in prison,” he mentioned of the blockaded Gaza Strip.
Signs carried by marchers included messages resembling “End the occupation” and “Cease-fire now.”
In New York, house to the world’s largest Jewish inhabitants exterior of Israel, a whole bunch gathered in Brooklyn on Friday wielding a banner emblazoned with the message “Jews Say Stop Genocide Against Palestinians.”
Jewish New Yorkers have been cut up, with some voices urging Israel to defend itself and others more and more warning of “Palestinian genocide.”
On the opposite facet of the nation, greater than 1,000 pro-Palestinian demonstrators marched in Los Angeles on Saturday, native media reported.
Thousands march in London
Thousands of protesters additionally held an enormous rally in London on central Portland Place on Saturday. They shouted “Free Palestine” and demanded a right away finish to Israeli airstrikes and blockade on Gaza.
Organized by a number of teams, together with Palestine Solidarity Campaign, the demonstration befell beneath intense police presence with over 1,000 officers deployed to make sure security and orderly conduct of the rally.
The crowd later marched towards the prime minister’s workplace on Downing Street as they decried the U.Okay. authorities’s assist for Israel.
They chanted slogans in opposition to Israeli occupation, carried Palestinian flags and indicators, with a few of them studying: “Freedom for Palestine,” “Sanctions on Israel,” and “Stop Arming Israel.”
Addressing the gang, Palestinian ambassador to the U.Okay. Husam Zomlot mentioned the Palestinian flag has develop into a world image for the battle of rights.
Mentioning that the actual casualty in Gaza is way larger, he added: “Israel is indiscriminately bombing civilian infrastructure, houses, hospitals, schools, entire neighborhoods.”
Referring to Friday’s assault by Israel that killed greater than 70 Palestinians, he mentioned that is “a war crime.”
“Israel has cut food, water, electricity, fuel supply to residents in Gaza, 2.3 million Palestinian residents in Gaza, this is a war crime.”
‘War crime’
Former Labour Party chief Jeremy Corbyn mentioned it’s proper to sentence the killings the concentrating on of civilians which is “war crime within international law.”
“But it is also right to condemn the continuing occupation of Palestine by Israel,” he mentioned.
He went on to say that the occupation of the West Bank and the settlements additionally must be condemned and opposed.
“Our demand is to end the occupation is to end the bombardment on Gaza,” acknowledged Corbyn, including that slicing of electrical energy, water, and meals is “also a war crime.”
Kate Hudson, the pinnacle of the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament, noting the forcing of residents in Gaza to maneuver south, she mentioned Israel attacked the routes and killed a whole bunch of individuals.
What’s taking place in Gaza is “collective punishment and a war crime,” added Hudson.
‘We want justice’
Maggie Dunn, a protester, informed Anadolu Agency (AA) that what is occurring in Gaza left them “absolutely heart-broken.”
“I absolutely, totally condemn what Israel is doing, (it) is just genocide,” she mentioned.
On the Israeli siege of Gaza with electrical energy and water reduce off, Dunn mentioned that this can be a complete punishment for two.2 million folks “who have nothing to do with Hamas.”
That is why, she mentioned, they gathered on the streets at present to assist Palestine as civilians in Gaza haven’t any medication, meals and energy.
Criticizing the British authorities’s stance, Dunn mentioned it doesn’t converse for her and tens of 1000’s of people that gathered at present.
Also chatting with AA, one other Palestinian supporter Ayman al-Halabi criticized the worldwide media for its over protection of the Israel-Palestine battle.
He mentioned Western media turned a blind eye to folks in Gaza.
“We need justice, which is seems far away,” he mentioned, citing the 75-year struggling of Palestinians.
Following the gathering on Downing Street, some protesters marched towards the Israeli Embassy, which had been cordoned off by police.
Another group held a protest in well-known Trafalgar Square in central London, the place a skirmish occurred between the gang and police following the arrest of protesters.
The Metropolitan Police mentioned late Friday {that a} 15 folks had been arrested associated to protest.
“Following the seven arrests during today’s protest, this evening saw a further eight arrests for offences including assaults on emergency workers, setting off fireworks in a public place and public order,” it mentioned.
Protests throughout Mid-East
Earlier Friday, 1000’s of protesters poured onto the streets of a number of Middle East capitals in assist of Palestinians.
“No to the occupation! No to America!” chanted demonstrators gathered in central Baghdad after Shiite chief Moqtada Sadr referred to as for a protest “in support of Gaza” and in opposition to Israel.
In Egypt, movies on social media confirmed a whole bunch of protesters close to Cairo’s Al-Azhar mosque chanting in solidarity with Gaza.
“Arab and Muslim countries have the duty and the responsibility to provide urgent humanitarian aid and help to the Palestinians of Gaza”, the college of Al-Azhar, the best establishment in Sunni Islam, mentioned in an announcement.
Anti-Israel protests had been additionally held in Iran on Friday.
In the capital Tehran, demonstrators waved Iranian, Palestinian, and Lebanese Hezbollah flags and held banners studying “Down with America” and “Down with Israel,” an AFP journalist mentioned.
Similar gatherings befell in different cities throughout Iran, the place American and Israeli flags had been burned.
In Jordan, which has lengthy had a peace treaty with neighboring Israel, greater than 20,000 folks gathered in central Amman, close to the Grand Husseini Mosque.
Masses of demonstrators crammed the streets, waving Palestinian flags and chanting “the people want the liberation of Palestine.”
One demonstrator exclaimed “it is (Palestinians’) right to defend their land and people.”
He added that “we reject America’s bias” towards Israel.
Hundreds protested in different Jordanian cities.
In the Gulf state of Bahrain, a whole bunch of worshippers chanted “Death to Israel!” and “Death to America!” forward of Friday prayers at Diraz mosque.
They then joined a protest march, a few of them waving Palestinian flags and others stamping on Israeli and U.S. emblems that had been laid on the bottom.
In Lebanon, supporters of Iran-backed Hezbollah rallied within the southern suburbs of Beirut in assist of the Palestinians.
In Algiers, round 1,000 folks went into the road to point out solidarity with Palestinians.
In France, the place President Emmanuel Macron on Thursday referred to as on Israel to deal a “strong” however “just” response to the Hamas assault, the federal government issued a ban on “pro-Palestinian demonstrations because they are likely to generate disturbances to public order.”
Asia rages
Former prime ministers joined pro-Palestinian solidarity rallies throughout Asia on Friday because the besieged Gaza Strip continues going through intense Israeli bombardment.
Mahathir Mohamad and Muhyiddin Yassin, two former prime ministers of Malaysia, led demonstrations within the capital Kuala Lumpur and condemned Israeli assaults.
In neighboring Indonesia, particular prayers in mosques and rallies had been held within the capital Jakarta and different components of the nation by a number of non secular and political teams to point out solidarity with Palestinians.
In Pakistan, political events Jamaat-e-Islami and Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam, together with different smaller teams, held rallies throughout the nation in protest of Israel following congregational Friday prayers.
Protesters carried banners and placards and chanted slogans in assist of the Palestinians and in opposition to Israel and the U.S.
In Bangladesh, 1000’s marched on the streets within the capital Dhaka after the Friday prayer and held protests in opposition to Israeli brutality on harmless civilians within the Gaza Strip.
Leaders on the rallies referred to as for a boycott of Israeli merchandise. They additionally criticized the U.S. and its allies for backing Israeli assaults in opposition to Palestinians.
In Hyderabad, the capital metropolis of India’s southern Telangana state, native police detained a bunch of people that had gathered to specific solidarity with Palestine.
The protesters, belonging to scholar organizations, chanted slogans in opposition to Tel Aviv. Local media quoted police officers as saying that the they’d not gotten a allow to stage the protest.
In Afghanistan, massive rallies had been held throughout a number of provinces, together with the capital Kabul, the place protesters condemned Israeli assaults and urged Muslim leaders to lift their voice and defend Palestinians.
An illustration was held within the Budgam space of Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir, the place anti-state protests had almost dried up after 2019, when the Indian authorities scrapped the area’s autonomy.
More than 200 protesters prayed for the security of Gazans and shouted anti-U.S. and anti-Israel slogans.
In the regional capital Srinagar, authorities closed the principle Jamia Masjid to the congregational prayer on Friday.
‘Great Palestine March’
Istanbul witnessed Saturday the “Great Palestine March,” organized by the National Will Platform, as 1000’s of protesters took to the streets of Türkiye’s largest metropolis.
Thousands gathered within the metropolis’s well-known Beyazit Square from the districts of Fatih, Eminönü and Aksaray holding Palestinian flags, with important participation from ladies and youngsters.
Demonstrators carried banners and placards in assist of Palestine, along with the Turkish and Palestinian flags.
Groups gathered within the sq. and chanted slogans in favor of Palestine and expressed their discontent via slogans in opposition to Israel.
Local and overseas vacationers additionally supported the march.
The protesters reached carried out the night prayer on the Hagia Sophia Mosque and the adjoining sq.. They prayed for the security of the Palestinians and an finish to the Israeli oppression.
There had been additionally enormous rallies and mass prayers held in main Turkish cities, together with the capital Ankara and central Anatolia’s Konya, in addition to in southeastern cities of Şanlıurfa, Adana and Diyarbakır on Friday and over the weekend.
Source: www.dailysabah.com