UTRECHT, Netherlands — As Israeli and Jewish communities around the world marked the third anniversary of the October 7, 2023, Hamas-led attack on southern Israel, pro-Palestinian and anti-Israel protests have been organized in several countries around the world.The protests come after three years of frequent anti-Israel demonstrations in many cities worldwide. Pro-Palestine demonstrators staged sit-ins at train stations across the Netherlands, including in Utrecht, Amsterdam and Rotterdam, to protest Israel’s actions in Gaza and express solidarity with Palestinians.In Utrecht, protesters gathered at the city’s train station carrying Palestinian flags and calling for an end to Israeli military operations in Gaza.Demonstrators also criticized the Dutch government over its support for Israel, while speakers at the protest said the genocide had continued for three years and accused the international legal system of failing to act.Protesters carried signs reading “Stop the genocide,” “End Dutch complicity, justice now,” “Free Palestine” and “Save Gaza now, stop killing Gaza.”They also chanted slogans including “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free” and “Stop the genocide.”Following the sit-in, demonstrators marched through Utrecht city center and the Hoog Catharijne shopping mall before ending the protest.Similar sit-ins were held simultaneously at train stations in other Dutch cities.Further demonstrations, sit-ins and marches are planned for Thursday evening in several cities as part of a week of events in support of Palestine.In New York, a vigil at Manhattan’s Union Square to remember the victims of the Oct. 7 attack on Israel was thrown into chaos on Wednesday when pro-Palestinian demonstrators swarmed the plaza, squared off with mourners and blasted Mayor Mamdani, who briefly attended the service.Waving Palestinian flags and screaming “Normalize the intifada!” and “There is only one solution… Revolution!” more than 200 pro-Gaza demonstrators began taking over the seats set aside for attendees at the 7 p.m. vigil.Mayor Mandani, who was scheduled to attend but not speak, showed up with Public Advocate Jumaane Williams about an hour after the program started — only to be jeered by the pro-Palestinian demonstrators, who felt he was siding with supporters of Israel.“Zohran, you can’t hide! We charge you with genocide!” Palestinian demonstrators screamed over and over. “Mamdani, what do you say? How many boots did you lick today?”Mamdani, holding an electric candle, stood stone-faced as he listened at the vigil and shook hands and embraced speakers who were drowned out by pro-Gaza demonstrators.More than 70 pro-Palestinian protesters demonstrated outside Columbia’s 116th Street and Broadway gates on Wednesday to protest Israel’s war in Gaza.The protest, named “3 Years of Genocide 78 Years of Resistance,” was organized by Students for Justice in Palestine, which the university suspended in 2023.Demonstrators joined a citywide protest later that afternoon hosted by the New York City chapter of Students for Justice in Palestine.Students have organized protests at Columbia every year on the anniversary of the Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel, when a Hamas-led militant group killed about 1,200 people and took 251 hostages. Israel launched an aerial bombing campaign and ground invasion of Gaza after the attack, killing over 74,000 people in Gaza as of September, according to the Gaza Health Ministry. In London, 11 people were arrested as several pro-Palestinian demonstrations were held on Wednesday, the Metropolitan Police has said.Among them were five people arrested on suspicion of inciting racial hatred at a protest outside the office of the Board of Deputies of British Jews in north London.The force said the other arrests were made at student-led pro-Palestinian protests elsewhere in the capital, which went ahead despite calls for them to be postponed so they did not fall on 7 October. One of those arrested was part of a counter-protest.
Keep Up to Date with our Weekly Newsletter
