Palestinians Commemorate Nakba with Mass Demonstrations Across Europe

(MENAFN) Across Europe, including significant gatherings in Stockholm and London, Palestinians and their supporters held large-scale demonstrations on May 15th to commemorate the "Nakba," or “Catastrophe,” the displacement that followed Israel's founding in 1948. The protests also served as a platform to condemn Israel's recent actions in the Gaza Strip.

In Stockholm, thousands convened at Odenplan Square, responding to calls from various civil society groups to protest Israeli operations in Gaza. Participants displayed Palestinian flags, images of children who have died, and banners carrying messages like: “Stop the Zionist regime’s genocide in Palestine.” Many protesters held signs bearing the names of civilians killed in Gaza, aiming to highlight the ongoing casualties.

Addressing the crowd in Stockholm, Jewish-born Swedish activist Dror Feiler described Israel’s actions in Gaza as a “genocide” and called for an immediate cessation. He also criticized Sweden’s Foreign Minister Maria Malmer Stenergard for her silence on the issue.

Echoing Feiler's sentiments, Rev. Ann Christin Kristiansson of the Church of Sweden told a news agency that the attacks constitute “genocide.” She emphasized that organized civil resistance, rather than military intervention, is necessary to stop Israel. Kristiansson asserted that Israeli attacks are targeting women, children, and civilians, not combatants, and stressed the urgency of a political resolution grounded in international law.

Meanwhile, in London, a massive march saw hundreds of thousands of people proceeding towards Downing Street. Their demands focused on ending what they termed Israel’s genocide in Gaza, coinciding with the 77th anniversary of the Nakba. Protesters, carrying Palestinian flags and wearing traditional keffiyehs, chanted slogans such as “Stop the genocide in Gaza,” “Free Palestine” and “Israel is a terror state.”

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