Thousands of pro-Palestinian demonstrators marched through central London and Berlin on Saturday, demanding an end to Israeli strikes on the Gaza Strip. The marches coincided with the third anniversary of the October 7 attack launched by Hamas against southern Israel.
Protesters carried banners reading "Stop the Genocide" and "Free Palestine" as they marched near the British Parliament.
"We are gathered today to mark the third anniversary of the ongoing genocide in Gaza," Amy Challan, director of the Palestine Solidarity Campaign, told AFP.
She argued that the Western sanctions, led by Britain, imposed in response to settler violence in the occupied West Bank were insufficient, calling for "comprehensive sanctions against Israel."
Since the ceasefire in the Gaza Strip was declared on October 10, 2025, Israel has continued its daily attacks on the territory, killing 1,450 people, according to the Gaza Health Ministry.
Police said they arrested several people, including a man and a woman who were carrying signs supporting the banned organization Palestine Action.
Hibo Hassan, 23, a recent university graduate, said she wanted to express her solidarity.
"Even though the events are happening in the Middle East, they affect us here too," she said.
"It's a nightmare, and it should concern us all."
Another protester, a 32-year-old Kosovar immigrant who identified himself as Kobi, said his personal experience of the war motivated him to "take action today and not let history repeat itself."
Meanwhile, the pro-Israel group Stop the Hate UK held a small counter-demonstration.
Ahead of the march, London police announced they would use their powers under public order laws to compel anyone wearing a face covering to conceal their identity to remove it.
"We will have a zero-tolerance approach to hate crimes and other offenses," said Metropolitan Police Superintendent Carl Galvin.
In Berlin, around 3,500 people participated in a similar march organized by the group "United for Palestine," which began in a square between the Chancellery and the Parliament, according to police.
Some participants carried banners condemning Germany's military support for Israel.
For decades, Germany has viewed its support for Israel as a fundamental obligation, a way of atonement for its Nazi legacy and responsibility for the Holocaust.
"It's truly regrettable that Germany finds it so difficult to criticize Israel," a student, who preferred to remain anonymous, told AFP.
The marches in London and Berlin took place three days after Israel commemorated the third anniversary of its deadliest attack, which killed 1,221 people and abducted 251 who were taken to Gaza, 44 of whom later died.
Israel responded to the unprecedented attack with a devastating war that killed more than 74,000 people in the Gaza Strip and reduced large parts of it to rubble.
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