October 6, 2024
PARIS (AP) — Crowds were participating in pro-Israeli protests and memorial events across Europe on Sunday on the eve of the first anniversary of the Hamas terror attack on Israel.
Other events are scheduled through the week, with an expected peak on Monday, the date of the anniversary.
At a march in Berlin, near the Brandenburg Gate, hundreds of pro-Israeli demonstrators set off up the famed Unter den Linden behind a banner that read “Against all antisemitism,” accompanied by a police escort.
With many Israeli flags waving over head, some Jewish leaders led a song about “shalom” — peace — while marchers chanted “Free Gaza from Hamas!” and “Bring them home,” referring to hostages still held in the Gaza Strip.
Thousands gathered in Paris for a Jewish memorial event featuring speakers and artists paying tribute to those killed in the Oct. 7 attack and stand with those still in captivity.
Ayelet Samerano, mother of Jonathan Samerano, who died after he was shot and kidnapped on Oct. 7 at the Supernova festival, said, “We are a united people. Together we are strong ... no enemy will bring us down. With this unity and strength, we will bring our loved ones home.”
In London, thousands gathered in Hyde Park in a similar memorial event. The crowds chanted “Bring them home” and waved Israeli flags and placards with the faces of hostages still held by Hamas.
Around a thousand people gathered in Brazil’s capital Brasilia for a pro-Israel demonstration, responding to a joint call from Israeli ambassador Daniel Zohar Zonshine and the Council of Evangelical Pastors in Brazil’s Federal District.
Demonstrators in cars and motorbikes gathered at Television Tower in central Brasilia and then headed to the Ministries Esplanade, where they prayed for the victims of Oct. 7.
On Oct. 7 last year, Hamas launched a surprise terror attack into Israel, killing 1,200 Israelis, taking 250 people hostage and setting off a war with Israel that has shattered much of the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip.
Nearly 100 Israeli hostages remain in Gaza, with fewer than 70 believed to be alive. Israelis have experienced attacks — missiles from Iran and Hezbollah, explosive drones from Yemen, fatal shootings and stabbings — as the region braces for further escalation.
In late September, Israel shifted some of its focus to Hezbollah, which holds much of the power in parts of southern Lebanon and some other areas of the country, attacking the militants with exploding pagers, airstrikes and, eventually, incursions into Lebanon.
