As Israel's military forces continue to use indiscriminate and excessive force against Palestinian civilians, protests against Israel's crimes and in solidarity with the Palestinian people have been taking place around the world.
In Europe, daily protests have been called in various cities. In Copenhagen, Denmark, on October 4, a largely peaceful demonstration against the Israel military's killings of Palestinians was held. Earlier, 5000 people, mostly of Arab origin, held a demonstration.
In Oslo, Norway, 11 people, apparently Palestinians, were detained by police in a demonstration outside the Israeli Embassy on October4. The gathering, arranged by Norwegian peace organisations, was attended by 100 demonstrators.
In Athens, solidarity organisations organised a rally on October 3. Palestinians, Arabs and Greeks gathered at the Palestine embassy and walked to the Israel embassy to demand that the Israel government put an end to the massacres. More than 400 people attended the rally.
In the United States, demonstrations have also been organised, in some places daily. In Madison, Wisconsin, around 100 people gathered at the university Library Mall and listened to speakers. The crowd then marched to the state capitol building.
In San Francisco, more than 1400 protesters jammed the streets in front of the Israeli consulate chanting "Down with Zionist occupation", "Down with [Ariel] Sharon" and "Down to the killing of Palestinians" on October 4. Supporters of Palestine from all over the bay area were there to denounce the murder of Palestinian children, women and men. San Francisco's Arab business owners, and Arab taxi drivers, called a strike to attend a rally on October 6.
In Boston, during the presidential candidate debate between George W. Bush and Al Gore in the University Massachusetts debate hall on October 4, more than over 250 demonstrators gathered outside to raise the issue of Israel's violence against the Palestinians. The demonstrators called on the US to withdraw military aid from Israel.
Amidst a sea of Gore, Bush and Ralph Nader signs, pro-Palestinian demonstrators carried placards reading, "Israel must respect international law", "Sharon hoots: Barak shoots" and "Helicopter vs. children: not fair". Small children wearing fake blood splattered on their white t-shirts led the group on a march.
Daily protests have been organised in the Arab world in early October. In Damascus, Syria, students from Damascus University 1000 university students pelted the US embassy with stones, tree branches and bags of rubbish. Syrian security forces prevented the protesters from storming the embassy but a lone student was able to climb onto the roof of the three-story building and bring down the US flag. Security forces used batons and tear gas to disperse the students.
In Beirut, Lebanon, more than 20,000 Palestinians and Lebanese supporters marched to UN House. Student groups from across Lebanon's political spectrum organised the march from the two universities in a show of solidarity with Palestinians. In the Rashidieh camp, about 10,000 Palestinian refugees held a similar protest. Thousands of Palestinian refugees and Lebanese protested from Sidon to Tyre. Hundreds of demonstrators on motor scooters carried Palestinian flags.
Dozens of Palestinian children marched to the office of the International Committee of the Red Cross in Tyre and delivered a memorandum demanding intervention to stop Israel killing children in the Palestinian territories.
Many chants during these demonstrations criticised Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak and other Arab leaders for not taking a stronger stand in solidarity with the Palestinians.
Meanwhile, the number of demonstrators at protests in Cairo, Amman and Baghdad on October 3 reached 10,000.
In Karachi, Pakistan, on October 3, hundreds of students protested and torched the flag of Israel to condemn the killings. The students, mostly Palestinians studying in Pakistani, gathered outside the Karachi Press Club.
Protests were also held throughout Europe, the US and in the Arab world on October 6.
For information about protest actions in Australia, contact your nearest Green Left Weekly distribution centre (details on page 2).