logo
Tens of thousands join pro-Palestinian marches across Europe

Tens of thousands join pro-Palestinian marches across Europe

Local France22-06-2025
In London, AFP journalists saw tens of thousands of protesters, who waved Palestinian flags as they marched through the British capital clad in keffiyeh scarves.
In Berlin, more than 10,000 people gathered in the centre of the city in support of Gaza, according to police figures.
And in the Swiss capital Bern, march organisers estimated that 20,000 people rallied in front of the national parliament, urging the government to back a ceasefire.
Thousands also gathered outside a French trade fair near Paris attended by Israeli defence firms, calling for an end to war profiteering and Israel's offensive in Gaza.
There have been monthly protests in the British capital since the start of the 20-month-long war between Israel and Hamas, which has ravaged Gaza.
This Saturday, protesters there carried signs including "Stop arming Israel" and "No war on Iran" as they marched in the sweltering heat.
"It's important to remember that people are suffering in Gaza. I fear all the focus will be on Iran now," said 34-year-old Harry Baker.
"I don't have great love for the Iranian regime, but we are now in a dangerous situation," he said, adding that this was his third pro-Palestinian protest.
Advertisement
Regional fears
Saturday's marches came after Trump announced on social media that the US military had carried out a "very successful attack" on three Iranian nuclear sites.
The US president added that after the strikes Iran "must now agree to end this war".
Tehran had said Saturday that more than 400 people had been killed in Iran since Israel launched strikes last week claiming its arch-foe was close to acquiring a nuclear weapon -- which Iran denies.
Some 25 people have been killed in Israel, according to official figures.
One marcher in London, a 31-year-old Iranian student who did not want to share her name, told AFP she had family in Iran and was "scared".
"I'm worried about my country. I know the regime is not good but it's still my country," she said.
Gaza is suffering from famine-like conditions according to UN agencies in the region following an Israeli aid blockade. Gaza's civil defence agency has reported that hundreds have been killed by Israeli forces while trying to reach the US- and Israeli-backed aid distribution sites.
"People need to keep their eyes on Gaza. That's where the genocide is happening," said 60-year-old protester Nicky Marcus.
Advertisement
'Scared'
In Berlin, demonstrators gathered mid-afternoon close to the parliament, some chanting "Germany finances, Israel bombs".
"You can't sit on the sofa and be silent. Now is the time when we all need to speak up," said protester Gundula, who did not want to give her second name.
For Marwan Radwan, the point of the protest was to bring attention to the "genocide currently taking place" and the "dirty work" being done by the German government.
In Bern, demonstrators carried banners calling on the federal government to intervene in the war in Gaza, expressing solidarity with Palestinians.
The rally there was called by organisations including Amnesty International, the Social Democratic Party, the Greens and the Swiss Trade Union Federation.
Slogans included "Stop the occupation", "Stop the starvation, stop the violence", and "Right to self-determination".
Some marchers chanted: "We are all the children of Gaza".
The overall death toll in Gaza since the war broke out has reached at least 55,637 people, according to the health ministry.
Israel has denied it is carrying out a genocide and says it aims to wipe out Hamas after the Islamist group's October 7, 2023 attack on Israel resulted in the deaths of 1,219 people.
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Texas Republicans advance map that reignited US redistricting wars
Texas Republicans advance map that reignited US redistricting wars

France 24

timean hour ago

  • France 24

Texas Republicans advance map that reignited US redistricting wars

The vote had been delayed by two weeks after Democratic legislators fled the southern state to halt the aggressive redistricting drive, which carves out five new Republican-friendly districts. More than 50 Democrats walked out, stalling legislative business and generating national headlines as they sought to draw attention to the rare mid-decade redistricting push. The rebels returned this week, but not before their protest had set off a national map-drawing war, with Trump pressuring his party's state-level officials to do everything they can to protect the majority in the US House of Representatives. The stakes are sky-high for Trump, who will be bogged down in investigations into almost every aspect of his second term if Democrats manage to flip the handful of districts nationwide needed to win back the House in next year's midterm elections. As lawmakers in the Lone Star State debated the map, Democratic representative Chris Turner called it a "clear violation of the Voting Rights Act and the constitution," according to Austin-based news site The Texas Tribune. Republican leaders of the Texas House sped up the normal legislative process, bringing the new map to a final vote Wednesday evening. It passed along party lines 88-52. After the state House's green light, it moves to the state Senate, where it has passed in a previous session, before heading to Republican Governor Greg Abbott's desk. Playing hardball Individual states redraw their own congressional districts, usually only once every 10 years, after the US Census. But "redistricting can be done at any point in time," argued the Texas map's sponsor, Republican Todd Hunter, according to the Tribune. "The underlying goal of this plan is straightforward: improve Republican political performance." There is little Democrats in Texas can do to thwart the map change, but it has prompted retaliation in California, and serious discussions in other Democratic-led states alarmed that the Texas maneuver could be replicated nationwide. Republicans are mulling drawing at least 10 new seats and are targeting Ohio, Missouri, New Hampshire, Indiana, South Carolina and Florida. Trump on Monday posted the proposed map of Texas on his Truth Social platform, calling it "one of the most popular initiatives I have ever supported." State lawmakers in Democratic stronghold California -- the largest and richest US state -- introduced three bills on Monday to create a voter referendum this year for a new congressional map that would effectively counteract Texas. If approved, the referendum would appear on California's November 4 ballot. "Nothing about this is normal, and so we're not going to act as if anything is normal any longer," Governor Gavin Newsom told reporters Wednesday. "Yes, we'll fight fire with fire. Yes, we will push back. It's not about whether we play hardball anymore, it's about how we play hardball." New York Democrats may follow suit, with Governor Kathy Hochul calling the Texas redistricting plan nothing short of a "legal insurrection."

Meme-lord Newsom riles Republicans with Trump-trolling posts
Meme-lord Newsom riles Republicans with Trump-trolling posts

France 24

timean hour ago

  • France 24

Meme-lord Newsom riles Republicans with Trump-trolling posts

Newsom -- hotly-tipped for the 2028 Democratic presidential nomination -- has been parodying Trump with a series of posts written in the Republican leader's distinct style that he hopes will show his party how to beat the social media master at his own game. In recent weeks the governor has posted all manner of manipulated images depicting him in the kind of over-the-top vignettes popular among Trump's "MAGA" movement -- superimposing his face on Mount Rushmore and appearing to pray with MAGA favorites Tucker Carlson, Kid Rock and Hulk Hogan. When Trump's one-word weekend post -- saying simply "Bela" -- left the president's supporters scratching their heads, Newsom posted a screenshot alongside his own caption: "DONALD (TINY HANDS), HAS WRITTEN HIS AUTOBIOGRAPHY THIS MORNING — UNFORTUNATELY (LOW IQ) HE SPELLED IT WRONG — 'BETA.'" The 57-year-old Democrat mocked Trump's salesman-like rhetorical style in a post about redistricting plans that he said had led "MANY" people to call him "GAVIN CHRISTOPHER 'COLUMBUS' NEWSOM (BECAUSE OF THE MAPS!)." And he has taken to ending his posts with the much-mocked sign-off that Trump, 79, made famous: "THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION TO THIS MATTER!" The tweets have quickly gained currency among Newsom's supporters, who have shared their own "Trumpian" memes of a shirtless Newsom with bulging muscles, brandishing pistols or riding into battle on a velociraptor. 'Newsom Derangement Syndrome' The governor called Trump's late-night social media tirades "pathetic," telling historian and podcast host Heather Cox Richardson that people who normally "can't stand" politicians had been reaching out to compliment his new approach. "And they're maybe paying attention to the childishness that is Donald Trump, that we've allowed him to normalize -- the way he communicates, talking down to us, looking past us," Newsom said. "I've got kids, and I've got a whole generation of people who thinks this is normal. It is not, and it can't be normalized, and that's big part of what we're also pushing back against." The posts are garnering the attention of X's algorithm while sparking the ire of Republicans, conservative-leaning political commentators and the right-wing media. Dana Perino, an anchor on Fox News, slammed Newsom's new strategy, telling viewers: "If I were his wife, I would say you are making a fool of yourself, stop it." "NDS - Newsom Derangement Syndrome is a real thing," Republican political consultant Mike Madrid posted on X, retooling the Republican accusation of "Trump Derangement Syndrome" levied to dismiss criticism of the president. 'Inside joke' The snark appears to be working. The number of followers of Newsom's official press office account on X -- where the cheeky announcement are being posted -- has soared by 450 percent since mid-June, according to CNN, with huge strides also seen on Instagram and TikTok. Daily Google searches for Newsom are up 500 percent since August 1, the network reported. Newsom says the MAGA-coded posts are not only annoying Republicans, but redefining how Democrats can provide an effective opposition to one of the most media-savvy leaders ever to occupy the White House. Asked for comment, the White House shared with AFP an image it had initially sent US publication Politico repurposing a scene from the show "Mad Men" to demonstrate that Trump is not just unfazed, but doesn't think about Newsom at all. Politico had called it the first official White House press statement delivered exclusively in meme form. Jeff Le, a deputy cabinet secretary for previous California governor Jerry Brown, said Newsom was responding to widespread discontent at the Democratic Party's perceived lack of fight when it comes to Trump -- and the yawning leadership vacuum. "His messaging has helped introduce him in a tongue-and-cheek manner that reflects the inside joke that many digital native Democrats understand," Le told AFP. But he added that the strategy was "not without risk." "If there is a terrible natural disaster -- a catastrophic fire or mudslide -- it's fair to say that the White House keeps score," he said, "and the president may be less inclined to provide timely federal government support and funding for the response." © 2025 AFP

French researcher in Russian jail faces new espionage charge
French researcher in Russian jail faces new espionage charge

France 24

time2 hours ago

  • France 24

French researcher in Russian jail faces new espionage charge

A French researcher who is serving three years in a Russian prison is now being investigated for espionage, according to a court filing seen by AFP on Wednesday. Documents showed that Laurent Vinatier is facing a new court hearing on August 25 on espionage charges, which carry a sentence of up to 20 years in prison. Vinatier, who worked for a Swiss conflict mediation organisation, is one of a number of Westerners who have been arrested in Russia since diplomatic tensions soared over Ukraine. The French government has demanded that Moscow release him and accused Russia of taking Westerners hostage. He was found guilty in October last year of gathering information on the Russian military and of violating its "foreign agent" law, as he did not register as one. The "foreign agent" law has been widely used against domestic Kremlin critics. Vinatier worked as an adviser with the Geneva-based Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue, and is a veteran researcher on Russia and other post-Soviet countries. He said in court that in his work he always tried to "present Russia's interests in international relations".

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store