Brazil: Throughout the week demonstrations were held in São Paulo, Brasilia and Rio de Janeiro demanding “a stop to the violence in Palestine.” President Lula da Silva demanded “an end to the attacks that end up killing children.” At the protest in the Cinelandia square in Rio de Janeiro, hundreds of people gathered. Some activists burned U.S. and Israeli flags, expressing their refusal to accept practices that amount to genocide and ethnic cleansing. Photo: AP
As Israel has turned Gaza into a massive death camp and prepares its ground invasion of Palestinians imprisoned there, with Biden repeatedly pledging his full support for these crimes, the response of people all over the world has been shock and growing anger, expressed in huge outpourings of protests worldwide condemning massive humanitarian war crimes Israel has already committed, and the even greater slaughter to come. In the past week, there were protests in countries all over the Middle East, Europe, North Africa, Latin America, and Asia. (See here for scenes from protests within the U.S., the main imperialist backer of the state of Israel.)
Thousands of Egyptians mobilized at the Israeli border. They slammed against the Rafah Crossing border gates—the only point of entry into Gaza, which has been closed since October 7— demanding the border be opened to let desperately needed food and supplies reach the people in Gaza. In the largest protest in Europe, hundreds of thousands in London marched to 10 Downing Street, residence of the Prime Minister. In France, the government had banned all demonstrations of support for the Palestinians, but an enormous crowd mobilized in the center of Paris in support of Palestine on Sunday, October 22.
These protests have involved a wide range of views and forces, including Islamic fundamentalists and uncritical supporters of Hamas, which is reactionary and does not represent anything positive for the oppressed Palestinian people and humanity as a whole. But it is necessary and just for all people of conscience to take to the streets to denounce what Israel is doing. The protests spanning the globe—massive ones as well as those in smaller cities and towns—are an expression of the righteous anger and anguish and a deep desire to act against the oppression of Palestinian people and stop the even more massive horrors they are facing.
Beirut, Lebanon: Protesters try to remove barbed wire blocking a road leading to the U.S. embassy, during a demonstration in solidarity with the Palestinian people in Gaza, October 18, 2023. Photo: AP
Tunisia: Thousands of Tunisians took to the streets and demonstrated outside the U.S. embassy. There has been a groundswell of solidarity with the Palestinian people being bombarded by Israel. Photo: AP
Cairo, Egypt: Protesters shout anti-Israel slogans during a rally supporting the people of Gaza after Friday prayers at Azhar mosque, Oct. 20. This was one of many protests held in sites approved by the government, seen by many as an effort to win votes for the upcoming election. However, Cairo’s Tahrir Square was not among them, and when a crowd several blocks long moved from the mosque to Tahrir, some also rallying against the government, Egyptian security forces arrested 43 protesters. Photo: AP
Prominent Voices Against Israel’s War on Gaza
Artists for Palestine UK: Gaza, October 23: 2,000+ actors, filmmakers, and others, including Tilda Swinton, Charles Dance, Steve Coogan, Miriam Margolyes, Peter Mullan, Maxine Peake and Khalid Abdalla, signed a letter saying in part:
We are witnessing a crime and a catastrophe. Israel has reduced much of Gaza to rubble, and cut off the supply of water, power, food and medicine to 2.3 million Palestinians….We support the global movement against the destruction of Gaza and the mass displacement of the Palestinian people. We demand that our governments end their military and political support for Israel’s actions.
Read the whole letter here.
Egypt-Israel Border: Friday, Oct. 20, Huge numbers of Egyptians mobilize at the Israeli border, outraged at the genocidal assault on Gaza, and banging on the Rafah Crossing border gates demanding the border be opened to let desperately needed food and supplies reach the Gazan people. A CNN reporter was confronted by a furious protester who yelled, pointing to the gate: Where is your condemnation? Where is [CNN] covering this? Cover this!” Photo: AP
Turkey: Protesters have attended massive funeral services across Turkey for Palestinians murdered by Israeli bombing of Gaza. In front of a mosque in Istanbul, thousands chanted support for Palestinians and burned Israeli flags and a puppet of Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu. A dozen men there, wearing red-stained doctors’ coats, carried dolls depicting dead babies to protest Tuesday's hospital blast. Placards read “Stop the genocide!” and “Murderer Israel get out of Palestine.” Israel was compelled to withdraw its diplomats. Photo: AP
London: By far the largest protests appeared in London, where hundreds of thousands of pro-Palestinian protesters marched through London, ending at 10 Downing St., residence of the Prime Minister. One protester held a banner with pictures of Sunak, U.S. President Joe Biden, and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu with the message "Wanted For War crimes". Photo: AP
Algeria: Several thousand people rallied in Algiers and across the country on Thursday in support of the Palestinians and to denounce Israel's ongoing strikes on Gaza. Photo: AP
Pakistan: Friday, Oct 20, thousands take part in a rally in Pakistan's port city of Karachi against Israeli airstrikes in Gaza and to show solidarity with the Palestinian people. Photo: AP
France: AP reports that in France, pro-Palestinian demonstrators gathered in several cities including Rennes, Montpellier, Dijon and Lyon, where thousands of people could be seen chanting “we all are Palestinians” in the central square. In Marseille, the country’s second-largest city, some people took to the streets, waving Palestinian flags and shouting “Free Gaza,” despite the protest being banned by local police. A pro-Palestinian gathering scheduled for Sunday in Paris has been allowed by police. This was after Paris riot police used teargas and water cannons to break up a previous Paris protest. Photo: AP
Chile: On October 19, a rally was held in front of the Israeli embassy in Santiago, Chile to support the Palestinian people. Demonstrators chanted “Gaza Resists, Palestine Exists” and called to break diplomatic relations with Israel. Photo: AP
Mexico: On October 19, a demonstration was held in front of the Israeli embassy with about a hundred people. They burned the Israeli flag, and held signs saying “Genocidal Israel, Palestine Lives”; “The US finances the Palestinian genocide;” “Genocide is not a Jewish value;” and “Long live Palestine”. Photo: AP
Indonesia: On Friday, Oct 20, 1,000 demonstrators marched from several mosques to the heavily guarded U.S. Embassy in Jakarta, the capital, to denounce American support for Israel. Protests also took place in front of the UN mission, a few miles from the embassy, and in the compound of the Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. (Indonesia is the world’s most populous Muslim-majority country.) Photo: AP
Spain: Pamplona, northern Spain, Sat, Oct 14, a supporter holds up a banner reading: "Zionist. Terrorist. Genocide", during a demonstration against Israeli attacks on Gaza.(AP Photo/Alvaro Barrientos) Photo: AP
