At least 4,000 children have been killed in just one month in Gaza in the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas fighters. The number of children killed is 40 percent of the more than 10,000 deaths in Gaza.

When Hamas, the governing body of Gaza launched an unprecedented attack on Israel on October 7 - a national holiday, they managed to out maneuver Israel's top tier security and intelligence to go on a rampage that saw 1,400 Israeli civilians killed and another 240 taken hostage. The size and ferociousness of the terrorist attack against Israelis in their homes, shocked the world. The U.S. along with most European governments were quick to get behind Israel and support their 'right to self-defence.'  

Everyone expected a robust response from the Israeli government but few anticipated the military tactics that would unfold as the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) vowed to wipe out Hamas once and for all. Over the next month, Israel dropped over 8,000 bombs, displaced over 1.5 million people and cut off supplies to a trapped population of over two million people.

Through international live broadcasting and social media, the world has witnessed the carnage that modern technology and sophisticated weaponry can unleash on one of the world's most densely populated cities. Almost all the casualties have been civilians but Israel remains steadfast in it's tactics. Western leaders have been left scrambling to justify their positions but almost all have stopped short of calling for a ceasefire, and instead have advocated humanitarian pauses to allow aid into Gaza.

 

Policy vs public sentiment

While Western leaders juggled the priorities of preventing an escalation to a wider conflict; negotiating the release of Israeli hostages; and coordinating aid into Gaza, they found themselves caught off guard by a ground swell of grassroots opposition in their countries to the IDF's actions against Palestinian civilians in Gaza and the West Bank.

Hundreds of thousands of people across Europe have added their voices to a increasingly loud call for a ceasefire by taking to the streets in a series of marches, sit-ins and protests to stop the war. 

At first, some European governments resisted solidarity with the Palestinians – insisting that support for Palestinians is in effect support for Hamas – but the public sentiment appears to be at odds with government policy in the west.

This has been driven by the unusually high death toll of civilians but also the unprecedented number of deaths of protected personnel including almost 200 healthcare workers, at least 40 journalists and media workers and over 100 UN aid workers.

The ongoing conflict, which has now entered its second month, has heightened tensions globally, with both Jewish and Muslim communities feeling threatened, contributing to increased anxiety and concern within these communities. 

 

Rise in Islamophobia and antisemitism

"Jews in France should not be afraid but many of them are afraid," France's Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius told France Inter radio after one listener called in to share her experiences of hearing anti-Semitic comments in public. 

Their fear is shared by members of the UK's Jewish community.

Mark Gardner, Chief Executive of Community Security Trust, a charity that aims to protect Jewish people in Britain from antisemitism, told the BBC, "British Jews are in a state of absolute fear because of what they are seeing on the streets. Nobody on the demonstrations is talking about peace for two peoples. It's a very, very dangerous state of affairs."

Charities have reported rise in antisemitism and Islamophobia in England involving schools and pupils since the start of the conflict.

"The ongoing war is gravely impacting communities here in Britain," said Zara Mohammed, the secretary general of the Muslim Council of Britain. "Divisive political rhetoric is fueling Islamophobia and anti-Arab racism, resulting in the targeting of British Muslims."

Major cities around the world, including London, Berlin, Paris, New York, Ankara, Istanbul, Baghdad and Rome have been witnessing large protest rallies. These demonstrations have been held at a time when Gaza has not only been facing severe bombardment but also enduring a communications blackout with little to no access to food, water and electricity.

The protesters have been advocating for a ceasefire in Gaza and an end to the killing of civilians and bombing of safe spaces such as hospitals, schools and refugee camps. 

European leaders have had a mixed response to the outpouring of grief and outrage from the public towards the Israeli response. The handling of Pro Palestinian protests has been further complicated by balancing the sensitivities of their Jewish communities highlighting the ongoing plight of the hostages still held by Hamas. 

 

'We're all Palestinians' 

Television footage from London showed thousands engaging in sit-down protests at underground stations, and in last weekend's demonstration blocking parts of Oxford Circus, and subsequently marching to Trafalgar Square.

Protesters held "Freedom for Palestine" placards and chanted "ceasefire now" and "in our thousands, in our millions, we are all Palestinians." Some Jewish protesters who participated were also keen to send a clear message: "Not in my name."

Police estimated the crowd making its way through central London in the most recent march on November 4, at "up to 100,000." Some have suggested as many as 500,000 people attended the rally, a number they'd like to see doubled at the next rally.

The protests went on peacefully with a police helicopter circling above the crowds. Despite police vans, from not just the capital but also the home counties, lining the Strand leading to Trafalgar Square, police presence appeared to be far too heavy, with just a handful of arrests made. 

One police officer on crowd management duties quipped, "Everyone is being so nice today, such kind and wonderful people," as he referred to the protesters heading in and out of Embankment Station, not far from the parliament house in Westminster.

 

'Pockets of disorder'

Police reported "pockets of disorder and some instances of hate speech" during the protests. However, they emphasized that the majority of the protest activity was lawful and occurred without incident.

In central Paris too, thousands marched last Saturday to call for a ceasefire with placards reading "Stop the cycle of violence" and "To do nothing, to say nothing is to be complicit."

It was one of the first big gatherings in support of Palestinians to be legally allowed in Paris since the latest escalation began.

French authorities had banned some previous pro-Palestinian gatherings due to concerns about public disorder.

French police said the Paris protest was authorized, unlike others, because a declaration by organizers condemned the October 7 attacks by Hamas.

In Brussels, thousands marched through the streets, waving Palestinian flags and chanting "Free Palestine" before gathering outside the European Commission's headquarters.

Similarly, in Berlin, protesters waved Palestinian flags while calling for a ceasefire. 

However, on a previous weekend, police in Berlin disallowed a scheduled pro-Palestinian demonstration in the city center, citing the potential for violence and antisemitic hate speech.

 

'Never allow new Gazas to arise'

German Vice-Chancellor Robert Habeck has pledged a robust political response to the rising incidents of antisemitism.

The country has banned the burning of other countries' flags, and the vice-chancellor has explicitly stated that burning the Israeli flag or expressing support for Hamas's actions is considered a crime.

Cries of "Freedom for Palestine" also echoed through the closed-off streets of the Spanish capital as approximately 35,000 people participated in a weekend rally, according to the central government's delegation to Madrid. 

It marked one of the largest demonstrations in Spain in support of Palestinians in recent weeks. Spain's top diplomat Jose Manuel Albares has cautioned against confusing Palestinians with Hamas. 

This view was shared by a protester in London who said, "This is not about Hamas, this is about protecting Palestinian lives."

Meanwhile, in Istanbul and Ankara, hundreds gathered a day before U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken's visit for talks about the conflict. 

Türkiye, critical of Israel and Western nations amid the Gaza crisis, supports a two-state solution and hosts Hamas members. Unlike the U.S. and the EU, Ankara does not classify Hamas as a terrorist organization.

In a rally in Istanbul, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan urged a crowd of Palestinian supporters to leave "with the determination to never allow new Gazas to arise."

 

Peaceful protests or 'hate marches'?

On the other hand, the UK Home Secretary Suella Braverman was quick to label the pro-Palestinian protests in London as "hate marches" and then went on to accuse the Metropolitan police of being "biased" for not banning the planned march on November 11.

A newspaper article that Braverman has written blaming the police force for showing bias has threatened her position, with some calling for Prime Minister Rishi Sunak to sack her.

Contrary to Braverman's divisive remarks, a statement by the protest organizers, Palestine Solidarity Campaign, confirmed that there is no plan or intent to interfere with the Remembrance day proceedings that take place the same day.

"Our next national march will take place on Saturday November 11, 2023. We have made clear that we have no intention of marching on or near Whitehall, in order not to disrupt events at the Cenotaph," says the statement.

"Our planned route is Hyde Park to the U.S. embassy, and we anticipate that the march will begin around 12.45 pm, nearly two hours after the minute silence of commemoration for the war dead," it added, confirming that neither the route nor the time poses a threat to Armistice Day events.

However, the organizers have cause for concern over the stance taken by government officials, including Sunak. They cautioned that such statements are "highly irresponsible" and are fueling support from far-right activists and commentators, who appear to be "inciting action on the streets" to quell the ongoing protests. 

"There is nothing more appropriate than marching for a ceasefire on the day a ceasefire was signed," a former British soldier Joe Glenton said in a social media post shared by UK-based Double Down News.

 

'Blatant political policing'

It is important to note that pro-Israel demonstrations and vigils have also taken place globally, with a focus on securing the release of hostages held by Hamas. None of these, however, have been policed heavily or described as "hate marches."

In Rome, the Jewish community commemorated those held captive by setting a Shabbat table outside the main synagogue, featuring empty chairs representing each hostage. Each chair displayed a flier with the missing person's name, age, and photo, accompanied by candles, wine, and challah.

Diane Abbott, Labour MP for a London constituency, in her post on X pointed out, "People complaining about a march for peace on the day before Remembrance Sunday, never had anything to say about a National Front march on Remembrance Sunday itself."

She went on to call opposition to the November 11 protest rally "blatant political policing."

The Metropolitan Police Commissioner, Mark Rowley, has asserted the independence of his force despite strong government pressure to intervene in the pro-Palestinian march through London on Armistice Day.

 

Armistice Day march 'must be allowed to go ahead'

In a statement, Rowley acknowledged the calls urging him to halt the Saturday procession but emphasized that, at present, there is insufficient intelligence indicating a significant risk of public disorder.

The police have established exclusion zones encompassing key areas such as the Cenotaph, Whitehall, Horse Guards Parade, the Westminster Abbey Field of Remembrance, and other relevant locations.

The force has also warned that individuals suspected of being involved with or linked to the pro-Palestinian demonstration attempting to gather in this area will be subject to potential arrest.

During an interview on UK-based LBC radio, Nicholas Soames of Braverman's ruling Conservative Party, the grandson of wartime UK Prime Minister Winston Churchill, argued the Palestine protest scheduled for Armistice Day on November 11 "must be allowed to go ahead." 

"My view, I'm afraid, is not that of many people in my party. I think a lot of people died during the war to assert freedom," said Soames. "It must be allowed to go ahead. It's nowhere near the Cenotaph, it's in the afternoon. And most of those people are not there to make trouble.

"They are there to express a deeply held view... it would be a great mistake to play politics with it."

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