Protesters across Europe rallied Thursday against Israel’s interception of a flotilla carrying aid for Gaza’s besieged Palestinians. The Global Sumud Flotilla departed Barcelona last month to challenge Israel’s blockade, highlighting famine conditions after nearly two years of war.
Forty-one ships carrying over 400 people, including politicians and climate activist Greta Thunberg, were stopped by the Israeli navy on Wednesday. In Barcelona, about 15,000 demonstrators marched through the streets, chanting slogans like “Gaza, you are not alone” and “Freedom for Palestine.”
Spanish riot police used truncheons to repel protesters attempting to climb barriers, forcing the crowd to retreat, images on public television showed. A vessel carrying former mayor Ada Colau, along with activists including Mandla Mandela, was among those blocked, with deportation threats looming.
Around 10,000 people staged a similar protest in Madrid, while Bilbao, Seville, and Valencia also hosted demonstrations Thursday night. In Paris, roughly 1,000 gathered at Place de la République, while Marseille police arrested around 100 for blocking a weapons manufacturer’s offices.
Italy prepared for a general strike Friday, with thousands urging Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni to defend the flotilla activists and halt Israel’s actions. “We are prepared to block everything. The genocidal machine must stop immediately,” chanted demonstrators in Rome, expressing outrage over the blockade.
Gianfranco Pagliarulo, 76, criticised Meloni for defending Israel rather than the victims, calling the government’s stance “absolutely intolerable.” In Brussels, 3,000 protesters gathered outside the European Parliament, setting off smoke bombs and demanding the EU halt financial support to Israel.
Geneva saw a similar crowd, mostly young, lighting a bonfire near the central station before police pushed back demonstrators at Mont Blanc bridge. Dozens also protested in Kuala Lumpur outside the U.S. embassy, decrying the arrest of flotilla activists who were merely bringing aid and baby food. The demonstrations across continents underscored widespread anger, as activists called for immediate protection of humanitarian missions and an end to Gaza’s blockade.