Today, Saturday, Belgium, in addition to several German cities, saw demonstrations to show their support for the Palestinians and demand a ceasefire in Gaza.

A police spokesman in the capital, Berlin, announced that police estimated 2,600 people had gathered in the Berlin-Kreuzberg area before the start of the demonstration, which chanted through loudspeakers and chanted slogans calling for the liberation of Palestine. They also described what was happening in Gaza as a “genocide”.

A pro-Palestinian march in Munich drew 2,500 people, according to police in the southern German city. A police spokesman said the demonstration was largely peaceful, explaining that police had deployed about 200 of its members to protect the demonstration and that the demonstrators were demanding a ceasefire in the Middle East.

The Munich branch of the “Palestine Speaks” movement called for the march under the slogan “Stop the War – Freedom for Palestine”.

Police in Germany’s most populous state of North Rhine-Westphalia said 2,000 people gathered at a pro-Palestinian demonstration in the city of Wuppertal. A police spokesperson said that around 100 people gathered and demonstrated in support of Israel at the same time.

A German news agency reporter said the demonstration remained peaceful, but the atmosphere was emotional.

Demonstrations in Brussels

Police in Belgium said around 21,000 people took part in a peaceful pro-Palestinian march in the capital Brussels on Saturday, with many chanting slogans such as “Free Palestine” and calling for a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip.

One of the demonstrators shouted, “Stop shooting now!” “What is happening in Gaza right now is beyond destruction,” he said, holding the slogan.

Other demonstrators waved banners reading “Stop the Genocide” and “Human Rights for Palestinians”, and some of them demanded the arrest of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for alleged war crimes.

Another demonstrator said: “It is important that our voices are heard and we cannot accept people being bombed and killed.”

Since the October 7 attack by Hamas on southern Israel, there has been strong support and sympathy for Israel from Western governments and many citizens.

But Israel’s military response also sparked anger and protests in cities around the world. Demanding a ceasefire. In London, more than 100,000 pro-Palestinian demonstrators took to the streets on Saturday.

In Paris, several thousand demonstrators, including some left-wing lawmakers, marched with Palestinian flags and banners demanding a cease-fire in Gaza.