Gaza protests under way in Europe as arrests made in London

Tens of thousands of people are marching in major cities across Europe to protest against Israel’s war on Gaza, with mass rallies taking place in urban centres across the United Kingdom, Italy, Spain and Portugal.

Protests in Spain’s second-largest city, Barcelona, as well as in Madrid, were planned weeks ago, while calls for demonstrations in Rome and Lisbon followed widespread anger after Israeli forces intercepted a humanitarian aid flotilla – the Global Sumud Flotilla – that had set sail from Barcelona for Gaza, trying to break Israel’s blockade of the famine-struck Palestinian territory.

More than 40 Spaniards, including a former Barcelona mayor, are among the 450 activists that Israel detained from the flotilla’s boats this week.

Italy already saw more than two million people rally on Friday across the country in a one-day general strike to support the people of Gaza.

Spain has seen a surge of support for Palestinians in recent weeks while its government intensifies diplomatic efforts against the far-right government of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Protests against the presence of an Israeli-owned cycling team repeatedly disrupted the Spanish Vuelta cycling event last month, while Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez called the war on Gaza a “genocide” and asked for the ban of all Israeli teams from international sporting events.

The calls for protests in Europe come as Hamas said it has accepted some elements of the plan laid out by United States President Donald Trump to end the two-year assault, which has killed more than 66,000 people and left Gaza in ruins.

Barcelona’s town hall said police estimated that 70,000 turned out for Saturday’s demonstration.

People packed Barcelona’s wide Passeig de Gracia, the city’s central boulevard. Many families turned out, along with people of all ages. Protesters carried Palestinian flags or wore T-shirts supporting Palestine.

Hand-held signs bore messages like “Gaza hurts me,” “Stop the Genocide,” and “Hands off the flotilla”.

Maria Jesus Parra, 63, carried a Palestinian flag high after making an hourlong trip from her home in another town to Barcelona. She wants the European Union to act against what she described as the horrors she watches on televised news on a daily basis.

“How is it possible that we are witnessing a genocide happening live after what we [as Europe] experienced in the 1940s?” Parra said. “Now nobody can say they didn’t know what was happening.”

Arrests in London

A protest in Rome is also under way, organised by three Palestinian organisations along with local unions and students. The protesters will march from Porta San Paolo and end at San Giovanni. Police expect tens of thousands to attend, state broadcaster Rai reported.

A protest in London in support of the prosribed group Palestine Action is also under way, despite police requesting a postponement following a deadly attack at a synagogue in Manchester earlier this week.

Two people were killed in the attack in the northwestern city on Thursday, and police shot dead the attacker, a British man of Syrian descent.

Police have arrested at least 175 people at the scene of Saturday’s main protest event in Trafalgar Square in central London.

Officers began carrying away protesters as seated activists wrote out slogans on placards declaring their support for Palestine Action. Onlookers chanted “shame on you” at the police.

Organisers refused requests by the police and the government to call off the demonstration, which had been announced before the attack, to protest against the banning of pro-Palestinian group Palestine Action under anti-terrorism laws.

Police claimed Saturday’s protests would draw resources away from security they have tightened around synagogues and mosques following Thursday’s attack.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer called for calm in a post on X on Saturday morning, saying: “I urge anyone thinking about protesting this weekend to recognise and respect the grief of British Jews.

“This is a moment of mourning. It is not a time to stoke tension and cause further pain. It is a time to stand together,” he said.

Thousands have also taken to the streets in Dublin, Ireland, to mark two years since Israel launched its war on Gaza and to urge the Irish government to sanction Israel, local media reported.

The protest came after 16 Irish citizens were among the hundreds detained by Israel after it intercepted the Global Sumud Flotilla, the report said.

A protest is also being staged in Athens on Saturday afternoon, although police believe a bigger one will take place on Sunday, to coincide with a pro-Israeli one.