As world leaders and U.N. Security Council fail to halt Israel’s deadliest ever offensive on Palestinian Territories, demonstrations continue throughout the world on the first day of the New Year in protest of the violence in Gaza, highlighting an increasingly angry global public opinion.
Demonstrators around the world continue to return to the streets for the sixth day to denounce Israeli’s ongoing military campaign on Gaza, which has claimed the lives of 400 Palestinians, 25 percent of which are civilians and wounded 2000.
Protests across Europe
A series of protests have been taking place across Europe over the last few days, with many to be staged in the coming days as violence in Gaza persists.
In London hundreds of protestors led by chants of "no justice, no peace" braved the cold weather and gathered outside the Israeli Embassy on Thursday demanding justice for Palestine.
"There are British people, people from the Arab community and people from the Muslim community. The protest sends a very important message that what is happening in Gaza is not right," Majed al-Zeer from the Palestinian Return Center was quoted by the Independent as saying.
British demonstrations are expected to gather momentum on Saturday with thousands of people expected to participate in a massive rally in London.
Protests set for Glasgow, Scotland, will be held on Jan. 3 outside Lloyds TSB on St Vincent Street, with a demonstration at Blytheswood Square. Protests in Edinburgh will also be held on the same day.
Thousands took the streets in Brussels on Wednesday calling for an end to Israeli bombing of the Palestinian Gaza Strip, burning Israeli flags and urging European leaders to take action.
Police said some 6,500 had turned out while organizers said 10,000 had answered the call to march through the Belgian capital, issued by 40 different groups, including the Belgian-Palestinian Association, Magasins du Monde and the Communist Workers League.
Despite the bouts of flag-burning, which included at least one U.S. flag, there were no reports of trouble and police said they had made no arrests among the mainly Muslim protesters.
At the front of the march, Palestinian representative to the European Union Laila Shahid berated E.U. leaders over their reaction to the Israeli attacks.
"The European foreign ministers met in Paris yesterday to call for a 48-hour humanitarian ceasefire. That’s a disgrace to international law and the massacre victims," she said.
"It’s not right to call for a temporary ceasefire after five days of bombings, a massacre that has left more than 400 dead and 2,000 injured," she added.
The protests were a joint effort of solidarity committees, NGOs, the Workers Party of Belgium and Arab organizations.
In France, demonstrations were called by a broad coalition of forces Dec. 29 and 30 in Paris, where 1,300 marched, and in Angers, Annecy, Lyon, Marseille, Montpellier, Quimper, Rennes, Roubaix, Rouen, St. Etienne, St. Girons, Thionville and Toulouse.
In Netherlands, a demonstration will be held on Jan. 3 in Amsterdam.
In Italy, demonstrations in Rome and Pisa took place on Dec. 28 and in Naples and Bologna on Dec. 29. There were also reports of a protest on Dec. 28 of 100 in Padua, on Dec. 31 in Venice Mestre. Future rallies are planned for Jan. 2 on Jan. 3.
In Greece, Pro-Palestinian protesters staged a demonstration during New Year celebrations in Greece, chanting slogans and burning flags of Israel, the United States and the European Union.
About 200 demonstrators chanted "hands off Gaza," as they gathered near an outdoor concert in Athens main square shortly before midnight.
"This is our New Year’s message: For this carnage to stop in the Middle East and for governments around the world to wake up and stop this," protest organizer Theodoros Koutsoubos said.
The demonstration was peaceful, but scores of riot police took up positions around the capital’s main Syntagma Square.
Austria witnessed a series of vigils and protests in Vienna on Dec. 30, carried out by 2,000 people. A demonstration, “Stop the Massacre in Gaza!” will be held on Jan 3.
In Argentina, a vigil of hundreds was held at the Israeli Embassy in Buenos Aires after a march on Dec. 29 to show solidarity with Palestine.
In Puerto Rico, the Socialist Front held a mobilization condemning and rejecting the crimes of the Israeli state.
In Venezuela, hundreds of protestors gathered in front of the Israeli Embassy in Caracas in the second day of protests there. On Dec. 30 people protested again before the Israeli Embassy in Mexico City followed by anther protest in Col
