ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — Protesters gathered in several countries Tuesday to condemn the war in Gaza as Israelis marked the second anniversary of the Hamas attack that sparked the fighting that has claimed tens of thousands of lives and spilled violence across the Middle East.
More than 1,000 pro-Palestinian protesters marched to the U.S. Embassy in Indonesia’s capital of Jakarta to denounce Israel’s blockade of Gaza and the detention of activists from the Global Sumud Flotilla that tried to break through last week.
Chanting “Free free Palestine” and waving flags, demonstrators called for the activists’ release and condemned two years of Israeli military action in Gaza.
Authorities in Indonesia — the world’s most populous Muslim majority nation and one that has no formal ties with Israel — deployed over 1,000 police to secure the embassy.
Hamas-led militants killed some 1,200 people and kidnapped 251 people in the Oct. 7, 2023, attack during a major Jewish holiday. Most hostages have been released in ceasefires or other deals.
Israel’s retaliatory offensive in Gaza has killed more than 67,000 people, destroyed vast areas of the strip, displaced around 90% of the population of some 2 million and caused a humanitarian crisis, with experts saying Gaza City is experiencing famine.
The conflict has sent ripples across the region, bringing Israel into combat with Lebanon’s Hezbollah group, Yemen’s Houthi rebels and militant groups in Iraq and Syria along with their patron, Iran, which suffered major losses in a 12-day war with Israel in June.
In Japan, hundreds of protesters, including Palestinians, marched through downtown Tokyo demanding a ceasefire in Gaza and the hostages’ release. Similar protests were held in Osaka and other major cities.
Lena Grace Suda, a 30-year-old Tokyo resident who joined the rally, called for sanctions against Israel.
“Recognizing the state of Palestine is not enough if you’re still complicit in the genocide,” she said. A growing number of experts, including those commissioned by a U.N. body, have said Israel’s offensive in Gaza amounts to genocide — an accusation Israel vehemently denies.
A pro-Palestinian candlelight vigil was held in Taiwan.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer criticized pro-Palestinian protests planned at universities across the country on the anniversary, calling them “un-British.”
Writing in The Times newspaper, Starmer warned that such demonstrations risk fueling hate speech and antisemitism.
“This is not who we are as a country. It’s un-British to have so little respect for others,’’ he said. “And that’s before some of them decide to start chanting hatred toward Jewish people all over again.”
Starmer’s intervention comes at a tense moment for Britain, days after a naturalized citizen of Syrian origin attacked the Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation Synagogue in Manchester. Two men were killed and three others were seriously injured.
After the assault, British authorities have stepped up security around synagogues and criticized the rise of antisemitism. The government is considering giving police new powers to restrict repeated protests deemed to have a negative cumulative impact on the community.
Later Tuesday, in Istanbul, where public support for Palestinians runs deep, the iconic Galata Tower will be illuminated with the colors of the Palestinian flag to draw attention to the humanitarian situation in Gaza, Turkey’s Tourism and Culture Ministry said.
A protest was scheduled to take place near the Israeli Consulate in Istanbul.
Turkish authorities, meanwhile, canceled a concert in Istanbul by British artist Robbie Williams that was scheduled for Tuesday evening, over security concerns.
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Associated Press writers Niniek Karmini in Jakarta, Danica Kirka in London and Ayaka McGill in Tokyo contributed to this report.
By SUZAN FRASER
Associated Press
