In Barcelona, tens of thousands of protesters march against the war in Gaza (video).
Spaniards fill city avenues in protest against Israeli offensive and call for action from the European Union.
247 - Tens of thousands of people occupied Passeig de Gracia in Barcelona on Saturday in a protest against Israel's two-year war in Gaza, according to the Associated Press (AP). The demonstration in Spain's second-largest city took place before planned events in Madrid, Rome, and Lisbon, mobilizing a wave of international solidarity with the Palestinian population.
Protests in Barcelona and Madrid were called for weeks ago, while demonstrations in Italy and Portugal gained momentum after the interception of an Israeli humanitarian flotilla. More than 450 activists were removed from the boats, including 40 Spaniards, among them a former mayor of the Catalan capital.
The Barcelona city council estimated the attendance at 70.000 people, although the event organizers claim that around 300.000 participated. Families and people of all ages carried Palestinian flags, wore T-shirts supporting the cause, and displayed signs with messages such as "Gaza hurts me," "Stop the Genocide," and "Hands off the flotilla."
The mobilization also reflects growing popular pressure in Spain, where Pedro Sánchez's left-wing government is intensifying diplomatic efforts against Israel. Recently, protests against Israeli sports teams disrupted the Vuelta Española, and the Spanish prime minister called the destruction in Gaza "genocide," advocating for a ban on Israeli teams participating in international events.
María Jesús Parra, 63, came from another city to participate in the protest. Carrying a Palestinian flag, she stressed the urgency of European action: "How is it possible that we are witnessing a genocide happening live after what we (as Europe) experienced in the 1940s? Now, nobody can say they didn't know what was happening."
While the protests are unlikely to directly influence the Israeli government, demonstrators hope to inspire further mobilization and pressure European leaders to adopt a firmer stance against Israel.
The war in Gaza began on October 7, 2023, following a Hamas attack on southern Israel that left approximately 1.200 dead and 251 hostages. Israel's military response has killed more than 67.000 people and injured nearly 170.000, according to data from the Gaza Ministry of Health, considered by UN agencies and independent experts to be the most reliable estimate of wartime casualties.