Thousands Rally in Europe: ‘Stop Anti-Semitism’ and ‘Ceasefire in Gaza’

Anti-Semitic Protest in Paris Attracts Participation from Prime Minister and More
Follow-Up Protests Seen in the UK, Germany, Belgium, Spain, and More

In the wake of last month’s surprise attack on Israel by the Palestinian armed group Hamas and the escalating tragedy in the Gaza Strip, citizens across Europe took to the streets to voice their concerns last weekend.

According to Reuters, on the 12th (local time), protests against anti-Semitism and in support of Palestine, calling for a ceasefire, took place over the weekend in cities such as Paris, France, London, UK, Berlin, and Munich, Germany, Brussels, Belgium, and Barcelona, Spain.

In downtown Paris, home to a large Jewish and Muslim community, an anti-Semitism rally was held, attended by tens of thousands, including French Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne, representatives of left-leaning parties, and Marine Le Pen, a member of the far-right party ‘National Rally (RN).’

French President Emmanuel Macron did not attend the protest. Still, it lent his voice to the anti-Semitic cause in a letter published in the daily Le Parisien the day before the protest, stating, “A France where Jewish citizens live in fear is not France.”

Meanwhile, in another part of Paris, thousands gathered under the slogan “Stop the massacre in Gaza” to hold a protest calling for a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas. Ceasefire protests were also held in Marseille, Toulouse, Rennes, Bordeaux, and Lyon.

A pro-Palestine protest was held in London the day before Remembrance Day. Protesters marched from Hyde Park across the southern Thames River to the U.S. embassy, demanding a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip. The size of the protest was estimated at around 300,000 by the police and about 800,000 by the organizers.

In addition, in Brussels, Belgium, around 20,000 protesters gathered on ‘Armistice Day,’ commemorating the end of World War I, to voice their call for peace in the Gaza Strip. In Spain, a large-scale protest demanding a halt to Israel’s military attacks was held at the Estació de França train station in Barcelona. Thousands gathered in Berlin and Munich, Germany, to call for a ceasefire.