LONDON (Kashmir English): Public reaction against Israel’s atrocities in Gaza has intensified in several major European cities.
Thousands of people took to the streets in urban centers of various countries, including Italy, Spain and Portugal.
According to foreign media reports, protests in the Spanish cities of Barcelona and Madrid had been planned for weeks in advance, while calls for demonstrations in Rome and Lisbon were made after Israeli forces intercepted the ‘Global Solidarity Flotilla’ carrying aid to Gaza and detained more than 450 workers on board.
More than 40 Spanish citizens are among those arrested, including the former mayor of Barcelona.
Earlier in Italy, more than 2 million people expressed solidarity with the people of Gaza during a one-day nationwide strike on October 3.
Spain has seen a significant increase in support for the Palestinian cause in recent weeks, while the Spanish government has stepped up diplomatic pressure on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Last month, there were violent protests in Spain over the presence of an Israeli cycling team, which led to the suspension of the Vuelta cycling event several times.
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez has called for a ban on all Israeli teams from international sports, describing Israel’s actions as genocide.
The demonstrations come as Hamas has indicated it will accept some of US President Donald Trump’s peace proposal in a bid to end the two-year war. The conflict has killed more than 66,000 people and devastated Gaza.
Police in Barcelona said more than 70,000 people took part in the latest demonstration. Barcelona’s famous main avenue, Passeig de Gracia, was packed with families, women, and children.
Most of the protesters were holding Palestinian flags or wearing pro-Palestinian T-shirts.
The banners held by the protesters read: ‘Gaza hurts me’, ‘Stop the genocide’, and ‘Don’t stop the flotilla’.
Meanwhile, demonstrations are also underway in Rome, which are organized by three Palestinian organizations with the support of local unions and students.
The protesters will start the march from ‘Porta San Paolo’ to ‘San Giovanni’. According to the state-run agency ‘Rai’, police say that thousands of people are expected to participate in the demonstration.
Arrests in London
Protests in favor of the Palestine Action Group are also ongoing in London, although police had requested that the demonstration be postponed after the attack on a Jewish synagogue in Manchester. Two people were killed in the incident.
Police arrested at least 175 people during a demonstration in London’s famous Trafalgar Square on Saturday.
The officers were forcibly carrying away the protesters, while several activists sat on the ground holding posters in their hands and writing slogans in favor of Palestine Action. Other protesters were shouting “shame on” at the police.
The organizers of the demonstration had rejected calls from the police and the government to cancel the demonstration. The protest had already been scheduled to protest the ban on the Palestine Action Group under anti-terrorism laws.
In the Irish capital Dublin, according to local media, thousands of people have also taken to the streets to protest Israel’s two-year war on Gaza. The protesters called on the Irish government to impose sanctions on Israel.
The demonstration intensified when Israeli forces stopped the “Global Solidarity Flotilla” and detained 16 Irish citizens, along with hundreds of others.
A large protest was also recorded in the Greek capital, Athens, on the afternoon of October 4, in which a large number of people participated.
