PARIS: Thousands of protesters took part in rallies across France and Britain on Saturday calling for a cease-fire in Gaza, while hundreds of others turned out again in cities across Europe.
Protests have been held across Europe since the unprecedented October 7 Hamas attacks on Israel unleashed the latest Gaza war.
Several thousand people marched through central Paris in torrential rain behind a banner saying, “Halt the massacre in Gaza and West Bank, immediate cease-fire.”
“France must immediately call for a cease-fire so that the guns go silent,” said CGT union secretary general Sophie Binet, one of several union leaders to speak at the rally.
The CGT estimated that 60,000 people rallied in the capital and a further 40,000 gathered in dozens of other towns across the country.
In Marseille, AFP saw several hundred people stage a minute’s silence for Palestinian victims of the war, while in Toulouse more than 1,200 people took part in a march, according to police.
Israel says Hamas militants killed more than 1,200 people, mainly civilians, and took 239 hostage when they stormed across the border on October 7.
The Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza says around 12,300 people have died in the Palestinian territory in Israel’s relentless military response, more than 5,000 of them children.
Elsewhere in Europe, organizers said around 4,000 people marched in Geneva, lighting candles displayed as a map of Gaza in front of the United Nations’ European headquarters.
One large banner read “Stop Genocide in Gaza,” and many shouted “Free, free Palestine!” in English.
Two rallies were held in Amsterdam, one urging a cease-fire for Gaza, another demanding the release of the Hamas-held hostages, though police said the protests were calm and no arrests were made.
Several thousands marched in Lisbon, many also shouting in English “Palestine will be free.”
“I think the injustice toward Palestine, for the past 75 years, is incredibly severe,” said Maria Joao Ralha, 64.
A few hundred people marched through Warsaw, with the protest culminating in a rally in front of Israel’s embassy in Poland.
In Istanbul, which has seen massive protests called by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan urging an end to Israel’s campaign, about 100 people lit flares and held up anti-war banners under heavy rain outside the Israeli consulate.
The rally was called by football supporter groups, which often play an important role in Turkish protests.
All Israeli diplomatic staff left Turkiye last month as a security precaution.
In Britain, the protest numbers were smaller after more than 300,000 people staged a pro-Palestinian march in London last Saturday.
One targeted an office where the leader of the main opposition Labour party, Keir Starmer, holds meetings, with protesters waving Palestinian flags and chanting “Cease-fire now.”
Some held placards reading “Stop the war in Gaza” and “Starmer — blood on your hands” amid a heavy police presence in the Camden area of north London.
Starmer, a former human rights lawyer whose party is predicted to win an election expected next year, has refused to call for a permanent cease-fire, sparking a string of resignations from his top team.
Instead, he has called for a humanitarian pause to Israel’s bombardment to allow aid in for the 2.4 million people in Gaza.
One protester at the London event, Nicoleta, 36, held a placard reading “Bombing hospitals is a crime.”
“Because I’m a health care provider I’m here to defend the hospitals, the innocent civilians, the children in incubators,” she said.
The rally was one of many smaller protests organized nationwide by the Stop The War Coalition.
London police said on Saturday they had now made 386 arrests since the October 7 attacks.
Showing support for Hamas is an offense in Britain, as the organization is considered a terrorist group.
Pro-Palestinian demonstrators rally across Europe
https://arab.news/bj9hf
Pro-Palestinian demonstrators rally across Europe
- Several thousand people marched through central Paris in torrential rain behind a banner saying “Halt the massacre in Gaza and West Bank, immediate cease-fire”
- The CGT estimated that 60,000 people rallied in the capital and a further 40,000 gathered in dozens of other towns across the country
Australia passes tougher laws on guns, hate crimes after Bondi shooting
- The gun control laws passed with the support of the Greens party despite opposition from the opposition conservative Liberal-National coalition
- The anti-hate laws passed with support from the Liberal party
SYDNEY: Australia has enacted new laws for a national gun buyback, tighter background checks for gun licenses and a crackdown on hate crimes in response to the country’s worst mass shooting in decades at a Jewish festival last month.
Two bills for stricter gun control and anti-hate measures passed the House of Representatives and Senate late on Tuesday during a special sitting of parliament.
The gun control laws passed with the support of the Greens party despite opposition from the opposition conservative Liberal-National coalition. The anti-hate laws passed with support from the Liberal party.
Introducing the gun reforms, Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke said individuals with “hate in their hearts and guns in their hands” carried out the December 14 attack at the famed Bondi Beach that killed 15 people.
“The tragic events at Bondi demand a comprehensive response from government,” Burke said. “As a government we must do everything we can to counter both the motivation and the method.”
The father and son gunmen allegedly behind the attack on Jewish Hanukkah celebrations used powerful firearms that were legally obtained, despite the son being previously examined by Australia’s spy agency.
PARLIAMENT RECALLED EARLY FOR SPECIAL SESSION
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese recalled parliament early from its summer break for this week’s special two-day session to toughen curbs after a shooting that shocked the nation and prompted calls for more action on gun control and antisemitism.
The proposed gun control measures enable the largest national buyback scheme since a similar campaign after a 1996 massacre in Tasmania’s Port Arthur, in which a lone gunman killed 35 people.
They also toughen firearm import laws as well as background checks for firearm licenses issued by Australian states, making use of information from the Australian Security Intelligence Organization.
Australia had a record 4.1 million firearms last year, the government said on Sunday, with more than 1.1 million of those in New South Wales, its most populous state and the site of the Bondi attack.
“The sheer number of firearms currently circulating within the Australian community is unsustainable,” Burke said.
The bill passed without the support of the opposition coalition, with a vote of 96-45 in the lower house, and 38-26 in the Senate.
“This bill reveals the contempt the government has for the million gun owners of Australia,” said Shadow Attorney-General Andrew Wallace of the Liberals.
“The prime minister has failed to recognize that guns are tools of trade for so many Australians.”
HATE CRIME PENALTIES STEPPED UP
A second bill steps up penalties for hate crimes, such as jail terms up to 12 years when a religious official or preacher is involved, and allows bans on groups deemed to spread hate.
The bill, which also provides new powers to cancel or refuse visas for those who spread hate, passed the lower house by a 116-7 margin and the Senate 38-22.
It won support from Liberal party lawmakers after ruling Labor struck a deal to include changes such as a requirement the government consult the opposition leader on the listing and delisting of extremist organizations.
The Liberals’ coalition partners abstained from the vote and the Greens opposed it, arguing it would have a “chilling effect” on political debate and protest.
“This bill targets those that support violence, in particular violence targeted at a person because of their immutable attributes,” said Attorney-General Michelle Rowland.
Such conduct is not only criminal but sows the seed of extremism leading to terrorism, she added. Police say the alleged Bondi gunmen were inspired by the Daesh group.
The measures were originally planned for a single bill, but backlash from both the coalition and the Greens forced the government to split the package and drop provisions for an offense of racial vilification.
In its own reforms, New South Wales limits individuals to possession of four guns, and beefs up the power of police to curb protests during designated terrorist attacks.
