Hundreds Of Thousands Protest In Europe Against Israel’s Gaza War As Anniversary Looms
Key Facts
- Hundreds of thousands marched across Europe Sunday in anti-Israel demonstrations ahead of the second anniversary of Hamas’ October 7 attacks, while smaller rallies showed support for Israel and Jewish victims.
- In Amsterdam, about 250,000 joined a “Red Line March” demanding the Netherlands take a tougher stance against Israel’s Gaza campaign, as similar protests erupted in Turkey, Morocco, Bulgaria, and Spain.
- Muslim-majority nations such as Turkey saw massive turnouts calling for “Muslim solidarity,” while in the U.K. and France, pro-Israel gatherings honored October 7 victims and called for the release of hostages.
- The protests highlighted sharp divisions across Europe as Hamas signaled limited acceptance of President Trump’s peace plan, deepening debate over the war’s future and Israel’s response.
by Stefan J. Bos, Worthy News Europe Bureau Chief
AMSTERDAM/ISTANBUL/BUDAPEST (Worthy News) – At least hundreds of thousands of people marched through European cities Sunday in anti-Israel protests ahead of the second anniversary of the worst massacre against Jews since the Holocaust, but some rallies expressed support for the Jewish nation.
In the Dutch capital Amsterdam, some 250,000 people urged the Dutch government to take a tougher stance against Israel’s war in Gaza, according to organizers and police. Most wore red to signal support for a symbolic “red line” against what they called “Israel’s siege of the Gaza Strip.”
The PAX Netherlands organizers said they hoped for peace in Gaza but added that U.S. President Donald J. Trump’s proposal had not changed their resolve.
Sunday’s massive protest and march through the Dutch capital came less than four weeks before national elections. The “Red Line March” followed a similar enormous protest in the Dutch city of The Hague in May, which also drew tens of thousands.
On Sunday, after packing Amsterdam’s central Museum Square, protesters walked through the city center waving Palestinian flags and peace emblems, with placards including one reading, “Ashamed of the government.”
STAUNCH SUPPORTER
The Dutch government has long been a staunch supporter of Israel but has in recent months expressed more criticism amid growing international pressure on Israel. On Friday, Foreign Minister David van Weel said it was unlikely the Netherlands would grant an export license to send parts for F-35 fighter jets to Israel.
“The bloodshed must stop. And that we unfortunately have to stand here because we have such an incredibly weak government that doesn’t dare to draw a red line. That’s why we are here. In the hope that it helps,” protester Marieke van Zijl said.
Marjon Rozema, a spokesperson for Amnesty International, one of the protest organizers, called for the use of “all economic and diplomatic means to increase pressure on Israel.”
Dutch protesters and others also expressed support for Palestinians and an aid flotilla’s failed attempt to reach Gaza after Israeli forces intervened.
Istanbul hosted the largest of several demonstrations in Turkey, with footage showing crowds walking from the iconic Hagia Sophia to the banks of the Golden Horn, greeted by dozens of boats decked with Turkish and Palestinian flags.
‘MUSLIM SOLIDARITY’
The marchers called for Muslim solidarity with Palestinians following midday prayers in front of the former Byzantine cathedral, now converted to a mosque.
The protests came ahead of the second anniversary of Hamas’ October 7, 2023, attack on Israel, which triggered the ongoing war in Gaza. Israel’s retaliatory strikes have killed more than 67,000 Palestinians, according to the Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry, but those figures have been difficult to verify independently.
Officials do not distinguish between combatants and civilians when providing death tolls. In Turkey’s capital Ankara, protesters held up flags and placards condemning what they termed “genocide” in Gaza.
“This oppression, which began in 1948, has been continuing for two years, turning into genocide,” Recep Karabal of the Palestine Support Platform told crowds in the northern Turkish city of Kirikkale. Support for Palestinians is widespread in Muslim-majority Turkey, where President Recep Tayyip Erdoğa remains a leading critic of Israel’s military operations.
In Bulgaria’s capital Sofia protesters gathered with slogans such as “Gaza: Starvation is a Weapon of War” and “Gaza is the Biggest Graveyard of Children.” They also called for the release of detained flotilla activists, including Bulgarian activist Vasil Dimitrov. “Our society – and the world – needs to hear that we stand with the Palestinian people,” said protester Valya Chalamova.
PALESTINIAN FLAGS
In Morocco, thousands marched in Rabat, many wearing keffiyehs and carrying Palestinian flags. An Israeli flag was burned near the front of the march, with protesters demanding an end to Morocco’s 2020 decision to normalize relations with Israel, witnesses said.
They also demanded the release of flotilla activist Aziz Ghali, a Moroccan human rights defender imprisoned in Israel.
Across Spain, thousands rallied in cities including Santiago and Gijon, where women marched with white bundles symbolizing the bodies “of children killed in Gaza.”
Sunday’s demonstrations followed mass protests a day earlier in Rome, Barcelona, and Madrid. Smaller rallies also took place in Paris, Lisbon, Athens, Skopje, London, and Manchester.
There were also pro-Israel rallies such as in Britain, where hundreds rallied to mark Hamas’ 2023 attack and mourn the victims of a recent assault on a synagogue in Manchester.
MANCHESTER CATHEDRAL
A crowd gathered outside Manchester Cathedral, holding Israeli and British flags and signs calling for the release of hostages held by Hamas.
A banner paid tribute to two men who died in the synagogue attack on Yom Kippur, seen by religious Jews as Judaism’s holiest day. The attacker was shot dead by police Thursday outside the Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation Synagogue after ramming a car into pedestrians and attacking them with a knife.
The French capital Paris also saw demonstrations, with hundreds marching in support of hostages held by Hamas. Protesters waved Israeli flags and chanted “Free the hostages,” referring to about 20 believed to be still alive.
As protests continued, Hamas said it had accepted some elements of U.S. President Trump’s plan to end the war, which has devastated Gaza, and stirred accusations of “genocide” against Israel, charges the Israeli government denies.
The developments underscored deepening international divisions over the war, with massive protests demanding action from governments across Europe and beyond, but also rallies supporting Israel.
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