Anti-Israel activists held protests on Tuesday in many cities on the second anniversary of Hamas's October 7 massacre, despite denunciations by politicians who said such marches risked glorifying violence.
Hamas terrorists killed 1,200 people and took 251 more hostage in the attack on October 7, 2023.
Anti-Israel rallies were held on Tuesday in Sydney and in European cities including London, Paris, Geneva, Athens, Thessaloniki, Istanbul, and Stockholm.
'Terrible timing, shockingly insensitive'
Organizers of anti-Israel protests over the past two years have said they were intended to spotlight the alleged humanitarian crisis in Gaza and advocate for Palestinian statehood.
Politicians in several countries said scheduling such protests on the anniversary of the Hamas attacks, the deadliest day for Jews since the Holocaust, could be seen as an endorsement of terrorist violence.
"Terrible timing, shockingly insensitive," Chris Minns, the premier of the Australian state of New South Wales, told radio station 2GB of a planned protest in Sydney.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said it was "un-British" to hold the protests "on the anniversary of the atrocities of October 7."
Protesters had used the Israeli government's actions in Gaza as a "despicable excuse to attack British Jews for something over which they have absolutely no responsibility," he said.
Concern over antisemitism in Britain in particular intensified since the Yom Kippur terror attack at a synagogue last week in which two men were killed, and Jewish communities have stepped up security at places of worship.
In London, several hundred protesters waved Palestinian flags and shouted: "Israel is a terrorist state" outside King's College London. They were expected to march to other universities.
A small group of people waving Israeli flags stood nearby.
Emily Schrader, a 34-year-old Israeli journalist who was visiting London, called the protests "utterly disgraceful."
"I think that there are much better ways to support Palestinians than engaging in an activity like this that is so hurtful, so deeply offensive, and that emboldens radicalism and terrorism, whether on campus or on the ground in Israel."
Vigils and some protests against antisemitism were also being held on Tuesday. In Germany, mourners gathered at Berlin's Brandenburg Gate, placing stones and photos of victims in a solemn vigil echoing Jewish remembrance traditions, while events were held across Israel.
Protests prompted by the humanitarian situation in Gaza
In the Netherlands, pro-Palestinian activists splashed red paint on Amsterdam's Royal Palace in protest against a decision by the city mayor to ban a pro-Palestinian rally while permitting a pro-Israeli event.
In Turkey, a protest was expected outside an energy company over its exports to Israel. In Sweden, demonstrators were expected to welcome back participants of a Gaza aid flotilla detained by Israel, including climate activist Greta Thunberg.
Authorities have banned an anti-Israel demonstration in the northern Italian city of Bologna, citing the risk of unrest, after days of protests and clashes with police across Italy.
"The demonstration will be absolutely prohibited," Enrico Ricci, the local prefect in Bologna, told reporters.
Governments have had to find a balance between granting the right to protest and the need to protect Jewish communities who have felt targeted by the demonstrations and have experienced a rise in antisemitic incidents since the October 7 massacre.