Wave of anti-Israel protests in Europe: Violent demonstrations with Palestinian flags in major cities
The slogan of the protests was to condemn the interception of the Global Sumud Flotilla, a group of ships carrying food to the Gaza Strip.
Anti-Israel protest in Rome/ Tiziana Fabi .
Europe witnessed a wave of anti-Israel protests on Thursday night. With the slogan of protesting Israel's interception of the Global Sumud Flotilla, demonstrators carrying Palestinian flags staged demonstrations, some violent, in Edinburgh, Paris, London, Rome, Brussels and Madrid, among others.
Although unrelated, the protests came in the wake of the terrorist attack outside a synagogue in Manchester. The attacker who left at least two Jews dead and three injured in Manchester was Syrian Jihad al-Shamie. The 35-year-old received British citizenship in 2006. British authorities shot him at the scene.
Hours later, protests began in different European cities, with the slogan of condemning the interception of the Global Flotilla Sumud, a series of ships carrying food to the Gaza Strip. On board were many activists, including Greta Thunberg. The protesters demanded the release of the flotilla activists, currently in Israel.
Anti-Israel protesters are attacking British police officers in Edinburgh tonight pic.twitter.com/EG2hcP3Vdz
In France, people gathered at the historic Place de la République in Paris. Demonstrators carried Palestinian flags and chanted slogans such as "Israel out." Later, they clashed with local police.
Other demonstrations took place in London, where participants chanted the slogan "from the river to the sea, Palestine will be free." Some were arrested after crossing paths with the authorities. In Italy, rallies were held in Rome, Florence and other major cities.
🚨 Happening Now - Edinburgh 📍
A man dressed in Hamas garb waving the Palestinian Flag on the day two Jews are brutally murdered in the UK.
This is sickening. pic.twitter.com/ldk5rX5s7I
Fiona Smith, one of the protesters who was present in London, declared that she did not care about the Jewish community: "I don't give a f*** about the Jewish community right now. I thought about it and I'm sorry about what happened, but the whole story and why we're here is because of what happened yesterday [with the flotilla]," she told The Telegraph.
In Belgium, hundreds of people demonstrated in Brussels outside the Foreign Ministry. The protest then moved on to the European Parliament.
BREAKING:
From Naples to Milan, Rome to Florence, Livorno, Genoa, Perugia — Italy rises in protest tonight against Israel’s attack on the Global Sumud Flotilla!
🇮🇹 🔥 pic.twitter.com/icjgsdxkTQ
Another mass protest occurred in Edinburgh, Scotland. There, protesters gathered at major train stations with Palestinian flags.
Spain saw protests in several cities, including Madrid, Barcelona, Valencia, Pamplona, Toledo, Seville and Bilbao.
In Switzerland, thousands of people demonstrated in Geneva's Lisa Girardin square, chanting slogans in French, Arabic and English. The demonstrators called for an end to the Israeli blockade and demanded unimpeded delivery of humanitarian aid to Gaza. Demonstrations were also reported in Bern, Basel, Lugano, Lucerne and Zurich.
BREAKING:
Anti-Israel rioters are attacking the French police in Paris tonight
🇫🇷🇮🇱 pic.twitter.com/MnUDPgbZDK
What happened to the Greta Thunberg flotilla?
The Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs posted a video in which Thunberg is seen conversing with a person dressed in military fatigues. According to the post, "several boats" from the flotilla had been "safely detained," so their passengers were transferred to a nearby port.
The flotilla's organizers claimed that Israeli forces had "illegally" intercepted and boarded the boats in international waters, calling it an "illegal attack on unarmed humanitarians."
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