Europeans march demanding action as Gaza ceasefire falters and casualties rise.
Photo Credit: @josh.lee.syd / Instagram
TENS of thousands of people marched in Europe on Saturday, November 29 for the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian people. Protests were held in major European cities, including Paris, Geneva, Lisbon, and Rome, as protesters accused Israel of violating a US-brokered ceasefire and blocking the entry of humanitarian aid to Gaza, and demanded that international action be taken to end the war.
Activists including Greta Thunberg, Francesca Albanese, Thiago Avila, and members of the Global Sumud Flotilla all participated in the marches, joining the thousands of demonstrators in major cities and calling for immediate action to stop all forms of military cooperation and calling for sanctions to be put into place.
Unsteady ceasefire reportedly being breached on a daily basis
Protesters argue that the unsteady ceasefire brokered by US President Donald Trump, which took effect on October 10, has already been breached several times by Israel, and has provided little by way of a permanent resolution to the conflict. Under the truce, Israeli forces have pulled back behind a so-called “yellow line” inside the Gaza Strip. However, Israel still occupies more than half the territory, and both sides accuse each other of breaching the ceasefire on a daily basis.
Activists join in on the march in solidarity
Climate activist Greta Thunberg headed some of the demonstrations in Rome, Italy, denouncing the Italian government for its complicity in the war and openly spoke of the Palestinian genocide. Thunberg also formed part of the Global Sumud Flotilla, a coordinated nonviolent movement made up of around 20 sea vessels aiming to bring aid and supplies to Gaza and to raise international awareness of Gaza’s humanitarian crisis.
United Nations Special Rapporteur on the Occupied Palestinian Territories, Francesca Albanese, also led the march in Rome, denouncing the lack of media coverage to reflect the reality of the Gaza situation and denouncing Italy’s military cooperation.
“Italy and the European Union must stop transferring weapons, conducting military exercises with Israel, and trading in technologies that could fuel the ongoing crimes,” Albanese stated.
A protest on a global scale
Other major cities that took part in the march on a global scale included Milan, Genoa, Dublin, Berlin, Stockholm, London, São Paulo, and Istanbul. According to a recent survey carried out by YouGov EuroTrack, public sympathy for Israel has dropped to its lowest levels in years across Western Europe. The survey demonstrates that few Western Europeans view Israel’s recent military actions in Gaza as justified, reflecting a shift in public opinion in recent months.
Israel and Hamas have been at war for more than two years, devastating Gaza, and more than 70,000 people have been killed, according to new figures released on Saturday, November 29 by Gaza’s health ministry.
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