Capitals: Europe and the Arabs - agencies
Today, angry demonstrations continued in various cities of the world to express solidarity with the Palestinians who are daily victims of the ongoing Israeli bombing since the first half of October, and on a daily basis. Cities of the world witnessed angry demonstrations coinciding with Christmas celebrations in various countries of the world. In Belgium, the country witnessed demonstrations in various cities, including What happened yesterday evening in the city of Ghent, about 800 people participated in a pro-Palestinian demonstration that began around two in the afternoon on the Ode Bestenmarkt. Police did not report any incidents after the demonstration, which ended around 5pm in St. Peter's Square.
It started with a relatively small participation of about 150 people. The organization, Ghent Alliance for Palestine, called for political action in its opening speech.
“Belgium will assume the Presidency of the Council of the European Union on 1 January, and this is an opportunity that should not be missed. We call on our government to take action. Words are no longer enough. We call on the Belgian government to seize this opportunity and called on European leaders to unite behind Palestine.
She added that the situation in the Gaza Strip is inhumane. “Hunger, displacement, and lack of basic services such as electricity and medical care require not just verbal condemnations, but concrete actions.”
Speeches were also given in St. Peter's Square at the end of the show. There were live testimonies from Palestinian children who had been in Gaza in recent weeks.
Yesterday, Saturday, pro-Palestinian demonstrators took to the streets of many cities around the world, such as London, New York, and Ottawa, on what is known as “Super Saturday,” to protest the continued Israeli massacres against Palestinians in Gaza on the day before Christmas Eve, a time when people often try to... Shoppers get last-minute gifts before the holidays.
The protests were organized by a number of pro-Palestinian groups, such as the Palestinian Youth Movement and the “Shut it Down for Palestine” movement.
“The Israeli genocidal attack on Gaza continues with incredible brutality,” the group’s website, “Shut It Down for Palestine,” said. “This Christmas, the occupation forces are sniping at Christians taking shelter in their besieged churches in Gaza, and Christians in Bethlehem have announced the cancellation of "Their celebrations. People everywhere must continue to proclaim that there can be no Christmas as usual during genocide!"
The American newspaper "The Hill" said in a report on Sunday that posts on social media succeeded in organizing large pro-Palestinian protests in cities such as New York City, Chicago, London, Los Angeles, Toronto and Ottawa. In one clip, protesters in New York City appeared to chant: "While you're shopping, bombs are falling."
In Ottawa, the protest organized by the Palestinian Youth Movement was called “No to a Regular Christmas During Genocide,” in which some demonstrators appeared wearing Santa Claus costumes in a repetition of the call for a permanent ceasefire in the region and for Canada to stop arms sales to Israel.
Gaza health officials said that more than 20,000 people were killed in the Strip during the conflict.
On Friday, the UN Security Council approved a resolution to increase aid to Gaza and also called for the rapid release of hostages currently held by Hamas. Although 13 countries voted in favor of the resolution, the United States and Russia abstained from voting.