Thousands of people gathered in central Berlin on Saturday afternoon to protest Israel's military action in the Gaza Strip, with organizers predicting that tens of thousands will join as the day progresses, reported dpa.
The "All Eyes on Gaza" demonstration began outside the Berlin city hall and is marching toward the Victory Column, a monument in the German capital's Tiergarten park, where a mass rally is scheduled to run into the evening.
Chants of "Free Palestine" and "Long live international solidarity" echoed through the crowd, while placards read "Gaza – Stop the massacre," "Never again for everyone" and "Freedom for Palestine."
The protest was called by an alliance of around 50 groups, including pro-Palestinian organizations, the Left Party, Medico International and Amnesty International. Their demands include an immediate halt to German arms exports to Israel, unhindered humanitarian access to Gaza and EU sanctions against Israel.
Berlin police said about 1,800 officers have been deployed across the city. Organizers registered 30,000 participants but expect more, noting that the largest Gaza demonstration in the capital to date drew about 50,000 people.
The organizers accuse Israel of committing genocide against Palestinians — a charge Israel firmly rejects.
Jewish violinist Michael Barenboim, one of the protest's initiators and concertmaster of the West-Eastern Divan Orchestra founded by his father Daniel Barenboim, echoed the accusation.
"'All Eyes on Gaza' aims to make the protest against the genocide in Gaza visible on the streets," he told Berlin broadcaster rbb24. "I don't consider that a drastic description, because it's the term used by almost all human rights organizations and nearly all experts."
"Preventing and punishing genocide is the duty of us all," he said.
The main rally is scheduled to start at 5 pm (1500 GMT) and continue into the evening. Barenboim is expected to perform, alongside German hip-hop artists K.I.Z. and Pashanim.
- Israeli
- Genocide
- Protested
- Gaza
Source: www.dailyfinland.fi
