Full Breakdown
Pro-Palestinian Marches Sweep Europe on October 10
By Drooid · · How we work
Core Event
On October 10, thousands of demonstrators gathered in major European capitals to demand an end to Israeli strikes on Gaza. In London, the “National March for Palestine” organized by the Palestine Coalition moved past the British Parliament, while Berlin saw roughly 3,500 participants march from a square between the chancellery and parliament. Dublin’s rally, coordinated by the Irish Palestine Solidarity Campaign, attracted more than 10,000 people, according to RTÉ. Smaller gatherings also occurred in Italy, Switzerland, and other cities, with around 1,000 demonstrators in Zurich and a counter-demonstration in Berlin featuring Israeli flags.
Background & Context
The protests marked three days after the third anniversary of the October 7, 2023 Hamas attack that killed 1,221 people in southern Israel and resulted in 251 hostages, 44 of whom were later found dead. Israel’s subsequent military offensive devastated Gaza, prompting a ceasefire a year ago. Despite the ceasefire, Israeli forces have continued near-daily strikes, which Gaza’s health ministry says have killed 1,450 Palestinians since the truce and more than 74,200 overall.
Data & Statistics
- Casualties: Gaza’s health ministry reports 1,450 Palestinian deaths since the ceasefire; the ministry also cites a total death toll of over 74,200 since the conflict began.
- Attendance: London police estimated several thousand participants; Berlin police counted about 3,500; RTÉ reported over 10,000 in Dublin; Die Welt noted more than 1,000 in Berlin; SWI recorded roughly 1,000 in Zurich.
- Arrests: London police arrested 20 individuals, including a man and a woman displaying placards for the banned group Palestine Action.
- Police Presence: Berlin police deployed approximately 1,400 officers, drawing personnel from other German states and the Federal Police.
- Broader Mobilization: Israel’s Diaspora Affairs Ministry recorded 357 pro-Palestinian events scheduled across 39 countries from early October through the following Wednesday, with the United Kingdom slated to host the largest single-day demonstration.
Official Statements & Responses
Aimee Shalan, director of the Palestine Solidarity Campaign, framed the London march as a commemoration of three years of what she described as genocide in Gaza and called for “full sanctions on Israel.” Israel’s Diaspora Affairs Ministry highlighted the scale of global demonstrations, emphasizing the widespread public interest in the conflict.
Criticism & Opposition
A small counter-demonstration organized by Stop The Hate UK, a Jewish-led pro-Israel group, accused the Metropolitan Police of applying stricter enforcement to pro-Palestinian rallies than to pro-Israel gatherings.
Verbatim Quotes
- “We are here today to mark three years of the ongoing genocide in Gaza,” — Aimee Shalan, director of the Palestine Solidarity Campaign
- “We will take a zero-tolerance approach to hate crime and other offending,” — senior Met office