Big anti-Israel rallies in Europe as police, protesters clash in Berlin, with 11 people arrested
ISTANBUL
Protesters in the UK, Austria, Germany, and Italy rallied on Saturday against Israel’s offensive in the Gaza Strip, demanding a cease-fire and an end to European governments’ arms sales to Israel, while some demonstrators clashed with police in Berlin, which arrested 11 people.
In London, Youth Demand activists gathered in Victoria Embankment Gardens, and during the protest, Oxford Circus, one of London’s busiest road junctions connecting Oxford Street and Regent Street, was closed to traffic.
The group demanded an immediate cease-fire in the Gaza Strip as well as a halt in arms sales to Israel by the UK government.
Hala, a Gaza-born protester, described the dire conditions in the besieged enclave during the recent Eid al-Adha holidays, including widespread food scarcity and medical neglect.
After briefly dispersing, the activists regrouped and closed Oxford Circus again, with no arrests reported.
Earlier, during a protest on June 1, police detained 10 participants for attempting to block thoroughfares, imposing strict measures to prevent further disruptions.
Meanwhile, German supporters of Palestine marched through Berlin and Frankfurt to protest Israel’s military actions in Gaza.
In Berlin, police clashed with demonstrators during a pro-Palestinian march that began at the Eberswalder tram stop and drew about 3,000 people chanting “Stop the genocide in Gaza.”
Later, protesters moved to the city center, chanting anti-Israel slogans. At the Alexa shopping center, 60 activists staged a sit-in protest.
Later, the police arrested 11 demonstrators.
In Vienna, demonstrators gathered at the parliament building to protest Israel’s ongoing military offensive on Gaza, which they described as a “genocide” spanning 260 days.
Supporters of Palestine carried Palestinian flags and banners with slogans like “Immediate cease-fire,” “End genocide,” and “Freedom for Gaza.”
Austrian activist Martin Weinberger condemned what he described as Israeli aggression and the stifling of Palestinian rights, stressing the international community’s obligation to support Palestine.
Weinberger also emphasized the necessity of continued resistance against apartheid and colonialism in Gaza, asserting Palestinians’ right to live free of oppression.
In the Italian cities of Rome and Milan, pro-Palestine marches were held, with participants condemning Israel’s attacks on Gaza and chanting slogans such as “Free Palestine” and “Freedom for Gaza.”
Demonstrators carried Palestinian flags and banners, with some accusing Italy of being complicit in the genocide of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.
Following the speeches, protesters temporarily closed Ringstrasse before marching to the European Union House to further amplify their demands.
More than 37,500 Palestinians have since been killed in Gaza, most of them women and children, and more than 85,900 others injured, according to local health authorities.
More than eight months into the Israeli war, vast tracts of Gaza lie in ruins amid a crippling blockade of food, clean water and medicine.
Israel is accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice, whose latest ruling ordered Tel Aviv to immediately halt its operation in Rafah, where more than 1 million Palestinians had sought refuge from the war before it was invaded on May 6.
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