Thousands of people demonstrated, Saturday, in West Mount, in front of the Consulate General of Israel, to demand the “liberation of Palestine”, in the wake of the military clashes that continued to escalate in recent days in the Middle East between the Israeli army. And the Islamists of Hamas.
“Israel violates international laws,” “Palestinian lives matter,” “stop killing of children,” “end occupation.” Can we particularly read the banners of the numerous demonstrators who shouted consistent slogans in support of the liberation of Palestine? .
Starting at 11 am, from La Fontaine Park, a “caravan” of cars drove through the streets, including the Jay Favro complex in the city center, to reach Westmount Square, where the Israeli Consulate is. The crowd was supposed to end their march around 2 pm in Dorchester Square.
Several protesters also referred to the #SaveSheikhJarrah movement, referring to this predominantly Palestinian neighborhood in Jerusalem, which has been under Israeli control since the late 1960s.
The demonstration is taking place under tight police surveillance, while dozens of cars and SPVM agents are on site to supervise the march. The police authorities set up a large security perimeter in the area.
In the streets around the Israeli consulate, cars set off en masse to show their support for the crowd. Several protesters carried Palestinian flags with them amid the crowd that grew steadily throughout the afternoon.
Firecrackers were thrown into the air several times. On one occasion, protesters also dispersed Palestinian smoke outside the Israeli consulate building.
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Global packing
Elsewhere in the world, several other pro-Palestinian rallies were held on Saturday. In Paris, around the crossroads of Barbie, the police presence was intense throughout the neighborhood in an effort to disperse the several hundred people who had come to support the Palestinians. The demonstrators chanted “Free Palestine”, “Murderer of Israel,” “Divide Israel, Palestine is not for you.” A short time ago, the Israeli army launched a raid on a ten-story building housing the headquarters of the Qatari television channel Al-Jazeera and the American Associated Press in the Gaza Strip, according to several international media outlets.
Jawad Mahdi, the owner of the tower, said that an Israeli intelligence officer had warned him before the strike that he had one hour to evacuate the building. He requested an additional 10 minutes for journalists to fill in their equipment, but was refused.
The Associated Press said it was “shocked and appalled” by the Israeli strike. “This is a very worrying development.” “We have painstakingly avoided the heavy loss of life,” said agency chief Gary Pruitt in a statement, adding that “the world will be less informed about what is happening in Gaza because of what happened today.”
With Agence France-Presse
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