Published: 24 October 2023
Last updated: 5 March 2024
Two weeks after more than 1300 Israelis were massacred by Hamas terrorists, the world is outraged but more for the Palestinians of Gaza caught up in the resultant war than for dead or kidnapped Israelis.
Pro-Palestinian rallies were held around the world over the weekend as protesters called for an end to Israel’s war on Gaza, which followed the Hamas attack of October 7.
In Sydney, police estimated 12,000 to 15,000 people joined a pro-Palestinian rally that went ahead without police permission.
In London, about 100,000 turned out for a pro-Palestinian rally to show their support for Palestine and demand an end to the Israeli bombings.
In Berlin, several hundred people defied a ban on pro-Palestinian rallies and took to the streets, wounding more than 60 police officers with stones, flaming liquids and acts of rebellion and resulting in 174 arrests.
In Warsaw, one sign featured the slogan “Keep the world clean” alongside an image of the Israeli flag being thrown in a bin. The Israeli ambassador to Poland has condemned the march for “blatant antisemitism”, pointing to the placard, which was held by a Norwegian student.
Pro-Palestinian rallies also occurred in Brisbane, Perth, Paris, Brussels, Lausanne, Sarajevo, Kuala Lumpur and Los Angeles, among other places
Rallies in support of Israel were also held around the world but they were fewer and mostly smaller. One exception was in Germany, where 10,000 people turned out to support Israel and German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier said that protecting Jewish life was a “civic duty” as well as a federal mandate.
In Tel Aviv, Rome and at Bondi Beach, sympathisers set up empty shabbat tables with 200 chairs to symbolise the hostages held in Gaza. Some of the settings included highchairs to emphasise the kidnapped babies.
