Europeans rally in droves against Israel, in favor of Gaza-bound flotilla

Hundreds of thousands took to the streets across several European cities on Sunday to protest against Israel in the wake of the Israel Defense Forces’ interception of the Global Sumud Flotilla last week.

The largest protests were held in Istanbul, with multiple crowds marching from the historic Hagia Sophia mosque to the shores of the Golden Horn harbor, according to the Associated Press.

In Ankara, demonstrators hoisted flags and placards denouncing the “genocide” in Gaza, according to the report.

An estimated crowd of 250,000, dressed in red, assembled in Amsterdam to demand the Dutch government apply tougher measures against Israel. The demonstrators gathered in the central Museum Square, with many Palestinian flags seen across the sea of red.

Protester Marieke van Zijl told AP that “The bloodshed must stop. And that we unfortunately have to stand here because we have such an incredibly weak government that doesn’t dare to draw a red line. That’s why we are here. In the hope that it helps.”

Following a Supreme Court ruling, the Dutch government has six weeks to reevaluate its suspension of a license to export parts for F-35 fighter jets to Israel, with national elections in the Netherlands looming in four weeks.

Demonstrations were also held in Bulgaria’s capital of Sophia and Morocco’s capital of Rabat in support for flotilla activists Vasil Dimitrov from the former nation and Aziz Ghali from the latter, who are currently detained in Israel, according to AP.

Protests were also held in Santiago and Gijon, cities in northern Spain, with thousands of attendees calling to impose an economic boycott on the Jewish state, the report added.

The demonstrations on Sunday came on the backdrop of violent anti-Israel events that rocked European cities three days earlier.

Thousands in Barcelona vandalized private shops and restaurants across the city, smashing windows and spray-painting anti-Israel slogans on their property, Reuters reported.

Franchises Starbucks, Burger King and Carrefour were charged with complicity with the war in Gaza, according to the report.

In Italy, students occupied universities in Milan and Rome and blocked access to Bologna’s university. Italian unions called for a general strike to express support for the Gaza-bound flotilla.

Italian Defence Minister Guido Crosetto criticized the demonstrators on X, writing in Italian: “Since everything is burning in Gaza, some say: let’s burn everything in Italy too. Why? Against whom? For what purpose? With what objective? With what desired outcome?”

In a separate post, he showed three vandalized cars, writing, “I wonder what the owners of these cars did against Gaza or against the Palestinian people.”

In September, Crosetto accused the Israel Defense Forces of deliberately targeting the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) following an incident in which the Israeli military allegedly fired ammunitions near the peacekeeping force.

The protests come amid U.S.-led efforts to end the war in Gaza with the immediate release of the remaining 48 hostages and the permanent removal of Hamas from power.

Also on Sunday, hundreds rallied in Manchester and Paris in support for the hostages in the Gaza Strip and in memory of the victims of the Yom Kippur terror attack in a synagogue in Manchester.