Protests around the world commemorate the 76th anniversary of the Nakba and call for a ceasefire in Gaza

Protests commemorating the upcoming 76th anniversary of the Nakba and calling for a ceasefire in Gaza were seen around the world this weekend.

The “Nakba”, meaning “catastrophe” in Arabic, refers to the forced displacement of approximately 750,000 Palestinians from their homes in preparation for the founding of Israel in 1948. During the 1948 Arab-Israeli War, some Jewish militias massacred Palestinian civilians. , Israeli newspaper Haaretz reported, and hundreds of thousands of them have been forced to flee their homes, according to the United Nations. Although the Nakba is not believed to have occurred in a single day, it is widely commemorated on May 15.

This year’s Nakba anniversary comes amid Israel’s war in the Gaza Strip, which has killed more than 35,000 Palestinians, according to local health authorities. Israel launched its assault on Gaza following attacks by Hamas on October 7, in which some 1,200 people were killed and another 250 taken hostage in Gaza, according to Israeli officials.

Last week, the Israeli military ignored US warnings and ordered around 100,000 people to evacuate Rafah, where many Gazans have been displaced during seven months of war. Palestinians who have been forced from their homes fear being permanently expelled from their land, just as many of their loved ones were in 1948.

Over the weekend, crowds gathered in cities around the world, including the United States, United Kingdom, Netherlands, Australia, New Zealand, Canada and Ireland. Protesters marched with Palestinian flags and signs calling for a ceasefire in Gaza, as well as the right of displaced Palestinians to return home.

More protests are planned this week in other countries, such as Wales, Germany and Belgium.

WE

In Brooklyn, New York, hundreds of people gathered at the Barclays Center on Saturday to call for an end to what many consider a genocide in Gaza, as well as to call on the United States to stop sending weapons to Israel .

The United States continues to send weapons to Israel despite last week halting a shipment of 2,000-pound and 500-pound bomb weapons to the country due to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s plans for an invasion on a large scale in Rafah.

Protesters chanted: “We want justice. Do you know how to do it? Stop bombing Rafah now. » Some brought drums, which they accompanied with protest songs.

New York City Police officers in riot gear were seen at one point closing in on protesters and arresting them. More than 160 people were arrested during the protest, according to the New York Police Department.

Hamed Yaghi and Souad Yaghi, a brother and sister from Connecticut, came to the Brooklyn protest to honor the victims of the Nakba, which few people, they say, know about.

“We hope that everyone who attends the protest will try to research the history of Palestine,” Hamed Yaghi, 20, told NBC News.

Elsewhere in New York, protesters blocked traffic on the Manhattan Bridge on Saturday.

In Seattle, protesters gathered to commemorate the Nakba in Westlake Park. In videos circulating online, protesters can be heard chanting: “Hey, hey, ho ho, the occupation must go.”

UNITED KINGDOM

Protesters were seen in several UK cities on Saturday, including Bristol and London.

In Bristol, protesters carried signs reading “Free Palestine”.

Protesters carrying and waving Palestinian flags also gathered in Northamptonshire on Saturday.

Another demonstration commemorating the 76th anniversary of the Nakba is planned for this Saturday in central London.

Canada

Hundreds of demonstrators were visible on Saturday in Montreal, at Square Westmount, calling for a ceasefire in Gaza.

Some demonstrators held a banner that read: “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. »

A large gathering of demonstrators was also observed in Toronto, near the American consulate.

Australia

On Sunday, protesters gathered in Melbourne at the State Library Victoria.

A protester held a sign in support of health workers in Gaza that read: “YOU ARE NOT ALONE.”

The Netherlands

In Amsterdam, protesters waved a large Palestinian flag in the city center, a video posted on social media showed.

“10,000 people against the colonial state and the ethnic cleansing of Palestine”, » wrote one protester in a caption on accompanying the video.

New Zealand

Palestinian supporters were seen in New Plymouth on Sunday carrying a sign reading “STOP THE GENOCIDE”.

Also in Auckland on Sunday, protesters gathered in Aotea Square with instruments like drums and saxophones to call for a “free Palestine.”

Ireland

A small group of protesters in Fingal chanted “free and free Palestine” this weekend in a video shared by local politician John Burtchaell.

A protester held a sign reading “Hands off Rafah.”