Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Thousands march in Europe in the latest rallies against antisemitism stoked by the war in Gaza

Thousands of people have marched in the Belgian and German capitals to protest soaring antisemitism since the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas war

Via AP news wire
Sunday 10 December 2023 16:50 GMT

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

Thousands of people marched in the Belgian and German capitals on Sunday to protest soaring antisemitism since the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza.

The demonstrations in Brussels and Berlin were the latest in a series of rallies in European capitals that have expressed support for Jewish communities. Previous marches in Paris and in London drew tens of thousands of people. There have also been many pro-Palestinian rallies, often drawing large crowds.

Marchers at the Brussels rally held up signs reading “You don't have to be Jewish to march against antisemitism,” “antisemitism kills” and other slogans. Police said at least 4,000 people attended.

Joël Rubinfeld, president of the Belgian League Against Antisemitism, said Belgium has witnessed "a huge increase” in anti-Jewish hatred since the Oct. 7 attack on Israel by Hamas militants that triggered their latest and deadliest war.

“We are living in a very complicated period,” he said, adding that the rally sends “a message to the Jewish community of Belgium to tell them that they are not alone.”

Meanwhile, several thousand people demonstrated against antisemitism in Berlin as Germany deals with a large increase in anti-Jewish incidents following the Oct. 7 attack.

Police estimated that around 3,200 people gathered in the rain, while organizers put the figure at 10,000, German news agency dpa reported.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in