FLASH
Shkruar nga PamfletiThousands of people took to the streets of Berlin and London on Sunday to protest anti-Semitism and support Israel, while in Paris and other cities, thousands of pro-Palestinian demonstrators called for a ceasefire and aid for the residents of the Gaza Strip.
Some of those who gathered in front of Berlin's Brandenburg Gate carried Israeli flags or pictures of some of the more than 200 people taken hostage by Hamas during the militants' deadly attack on Israel on October 7.
"It is depressing that Jews are living in fear again today - and in our country above all," said President Frank-Walter Steinmeier to the demonstrators, who according to the organizers were about 20 thousand, while according to the police there were 10 thousand.
"Even a single attack on Jews, on Jewish institutions is a shame for Germany. Every such attack fills me with shame and anger."
Earlier, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz inaugurated a new synagogue in the eastern city of Dessau and said he was "outraged" by the rise in anti-Semitism since the conflict began.
A star of David was painted on the doors and walls of several buildings in Berlin where Jews live, while a synagogue in Berlin was hit with two Molotov cocktails last week.
Chancellor Scholz said that the motto "never again" should be unbreakable, especially in Germany.
At a rally attended by thousands of people in London's Trafalgar Square, participants carried photographs of hostages and missing persons. They chanted "bring them home", keeping silent when the names of the hostages were read.
Representatives from both the ruling Conservative Party and the opposition Labor Party addressed the crowd.
Communities Secretary Michael Gove said the Hamas attack on October 7 was an act of "unprecedented wickedness and barbarism". "We must stand united against him. We have to bring the hostages home," he said.
Hundreds of people gathered in front of the United Nations offices in Geneva to demand the release of the hostages. Meanwhile, around 4,500 pro-Palestinian demonstrators marched in the city of Lausanne, police said.
The war has raised tensions around the world, leaving Jewish and Muslim communities feeling vulnerable. London's Metropolitan Police say reports of anti-Semitic acts in October have increased 13 times compared to last year. Reports of anti-Muslim crimes have doubled.
Sunday's rallies came a day after tens of thousands of pro-Palestinian demonstrators - 100,000 according to police estimates - marched in the British capital to demand Israel halt the bombing of Gaza, which began in response to the brutal Hamas incursion.
In France, which has the largest Jewish and Muslim communities in Europe, thousands of demonstrators gathered in Paris to demand that Israel halt attacks on Gaza. The police estimated that 15,000 people participated.
Some of them waved the Palestinian flag and climbed the statue located in the Place de la République in Paris. A banner carried by the protesters read, “Stop the massacre of Gaza. France should call for an immediate ceasefire".
Organizers of the protest, including Palestinian and Muslim groups, peace associations, workers, students and left-wing political parties, condemned Hamas' attack on civilians, calling on the militant group to release all hostages. They also called on Israel to stop attacks on the Gaza Strip.
Sarah Alaoui, a 23-year-old student originally from Morocco, said she "supports the Palestinian people because they have suffered for a very long time."
"Humanitarian aid is not enough. "Palestinians should have a normal life and their own state," she says.
Nicole Pomier, a 49-year-old Paris resident and activist, said she was glad authorities did not stop the protest.
"We want to be able to support the Palestinian people without fearing the possibility of arrest by the police," she said.
France's interior minister, Gerald Darmanin, had ordered a ban on pro-Palestinian protests, before the authorities decided that local authorities should decide whether to hold them.
Jewish groups gathered later Sunday in Paris to call for the release of all hostages being held by Hamas.
According to police, a crowd of 12,000 people gathered in front of the European Union institutions in Brussels for a protest organized by trade unions, Christian organizations and pro-Arab movements.
Thousands of people took part in a protest on the streets of Sarajevo, where some protesters drew comparisons between the situation in the Gaza Strip and the suffering of Bosniaks, most of them Muslim, during the 1992-1995 war.
"What is happening in the Gaza Strip is simply a human tragedy, collective punishment, war crime. These things need to be said because they represent what is happening," said Nabil Naser, a Palestinian doctor who worked in Sarajevo during the war in Bosnia. There were also protests against the war in the Gaza Strip in Belgrade and Podgorica./ VOA
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