LONDON, (PIC)
Pro-Palestine demonstrations and cultural actions swept several European cities on Saturday as activists marked the 78th anniversary of the Nakba, amid Israel’s ongoing genocide in Gaza and worsening conditions across the West Bank.
While official silence prevailed in much of the Arab and Muslim world, thousands marched in London and Stockholm, turning public squares and major streets into platforms of solidarity with Palestinians and demands for an end to Israel’s occupation.
In London, thousands joined a Nakba commemoration march that began near the Victoria and Albert Museum, chanting in support of Palestine and calling for the right of return for refugees expelled from their land in 1948.
Anti-Zionist Jewish activists and rabbis also took part, stressing that Israel does not represent Judaism and that Palestinians have an inalienable right to return.
In Stockholm, thousands gathered in Odenplan Square, raising Palestinian flags and banners denouncing genocide.
Jonathan Kay, representing the Jewish Anti-Zionist Alliance, said Israel’s occupation of Palestine did not begin on Oct. 7, 2023, but nearly eight decades earlier, criticizing the erasure of the Nakba from public memory.
In Vienna, pro-Palestine groups organized a Nakba event attended by politicians and rights activists, focusing on Israel’s genocide in Gaza, settlement expansion and apartheid policies.
The group “We Are Not Numbers” displayed a long banner carrying the names of thousands of Palestinians martyred in Gaza, emphasizing that the victims were not statistics but people with lives and stories.
The commemorations coincided with the Eurovision final, where calls to boycott the contest grew over Israel’s participation following the withdrawal of five countries.
Palestine’s presence also extended into culture and sports. Spanish actor Javier Bardem said in a video message that the Nakba “has not ended,” describing what is happening in Gaza as an extension of the catastrophe and pointing to forced displacement, settlements and apartheid in the West Bank.
In football, French player Sacha Boey raised the Palestinian flag during Turkish Galatasaray’s title celebrations, days after Barcelona’s Lamine Yamal waved the flag during celebrations for the Spanish league title.
The scenes reflected a growing shift in Western public opinion, as Palestine’s cause continues to gain visibility across political, cultural and sporting spaces amid mounting anger over Israel’s genocide in Gaza.
