Pro-Palestine rallies take over Europe despite Gaza ceasefire
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Pro-Palestine protests sweep Europe as demonstrators call for justice amid Gaza ceasefire and voice doubts over its durability.
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Pro-Palestine, anti-"Israel" protesters hold placards and wave flags in central London, on October 11, 2025 (AFP)
Pro-Palestine protesters marched in several European cities on Saturday, voicing a cautious hope tempered with skepticism as a ceasefire between "Israel" and Hamas in Gaza entered its second day.
Brandishing Palestinian flags and shouting: "Free Palestine", demonstrators in the latest weekend of such protests saw tens of thousands march in London, some 5,500 turn out in Berlin, and 500 gather in Vienna.
In Switzerland's Bern, clashes erupted between police and protesters after some 2,000 held an unauthorized protest in the center, where some black mask-clad demonstrators threw fireworks and police responded with tear gas and water cannon.
The much smaller, largely peaceful protest in Berlin, which had seen some 60,000 people march two weeks ago, included some who accused the staunch Israeli ally, the German government, of "being on the wrong side of history."
In central London, a sea of red and green, the colors of the Palestinian flag, formed along the embankment of the River Thames where the largely peaceful march began.
Ben Jamal, director of the Palestine Solidarity Campaign that has organized London's monthly pro-Palestinian rallies for the past two years, stated in London, "We're... sharing the relief of the Palestinian people," but added to AFP, "But we also come here sharing their trepidation that this ceasefire will not hold."
Donning black-and-white keffiyeh scarves, the protesters carried signs of "Stop Starving Gaza" and "Stop the genocide" and chanted "Free Palestine" and "From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free".
Ceasefire is the bare minimum
Katrina Scales, a 23-year-old sociology and psychology student, said, "I'm here with my friends to help show that there is, continuously, eyes on Gaza, even considering the current ceasefire," adding that a ceasefire was "not enough" and that she planned to keep attending marches.
Trade unionist Steve Headley, in his fifties, was also unconvinced, telling AFP, "Hopefully now we've got the first steps towards peace, but we've been here before," while questioning Trump's "plans for a 'riviera' in Gaza" that the US president had touted earlier this year.
For 74-year-old Miranda Finch, part of a group marching under the banner of "descendants of Holocaust survivors against Gaza genocide," the ceasefire was "very little". She stated, "The Palestinians are not going back to nothing. They're going back to less than nothing. Rubble on top of bodies, on top of sewage."
Attending his fifth demonstration with his wife and two children, 42-year-old Fabio Capogreco stated the ceasefire was "too little, too late" and called for accountability for those complicit in the war. He voiced a cautious hope that further protests might not be needed, but felt it was premature to declare the situation resolved.
