Thousands of people have held demonstrations in European cities, calling for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, which has been under incessant Israeli bombing since October 7.
The pro-Palestinian protests were held in Brussels, Sarajevo and Paris on Sunday.
The protesters gathered in front of the EU headquarters in Brussels, chanting “free, free Palestine” and “boycott Israel” while waving Palestinian flags.
Some people booed at the mention of EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, who was criticized for not being fast enough to declare publicly that the bloc expected Israel to abide by international law, which has been widely seen as pro-Israel.
Police estimated that some 12,000 people attended the protest which was the first major pro-Palestine rally in the Belgian capital since the start of the Israeli regime’s bloody onslaught against the blockaded territory.
Israel launched the war on Gaza on October 7 after the Palestinian resistance movement Hamas launched a surprise attack against the occupying regime.
More than 4,700 Palestinians, mostly women, children, and other civilians, have been killed across the Gaza Strip as a result of Israeli bombardments. Nearly 16,000 people have also been injured.
Several thousand people also gathered Sunday in the Bosnian capital Sarajevo at a pro-Palestinian rally, with the support of city hall and Mayor Benjamina Karic who attended the rally.
Elsewhere, thousands of people waving Palestinian flags and chanting “Gaza, Paris is with you” gathered for the first pro-Palestinian demonstration allowed by police in the French capital, Paris. According to police figures, around 15,000 people turned out at the Place de la Republique.
Pro-Palestine protests also took place over the weekend in other European capitals to call for the end of Israeli aggression in the besieged area and the safe delivery of aid.
Police in London said nearly 100,000 people marched in the British capital on Saturday in an event organized by pro-Palestinian groups. Demonstrators held signs reading “Freedom for Palestine”, “Stop Bombing Gaza” and “End Israeli Apartheid”, condemning Israel’s brutal war on the Gaza Strip and the British government’s unconditional support for Tel Aviv.
Meanwhile, despite a ban on demonstrations issued by Berlin police, several hundred pro-Palestine demonstrators marched unhindered through the streets of the German capital.
Similar calls were also heard in Rome where hundreds of demonstrators marched in the streets with the cry of “free Palestine” and holding a banner reading “No peace until we get freedom”.
