On Sunday, thousands of Europeans took to the streets to show their solidarity with the people of Israel, in the wake of ongoing attacks and escalating violence throughout the country.
In Paris, a reported 4,000 arrived to participate in a rally organized by the Union of French Jews (UEJF), and the city’s Jewish community. Jewish-French philosopher Bernard-Henri Levy spoke to the crowd, stating, “This wave of murders must be stopped. This slaughter doesn’t serve peace or the Palestinians. The wave of murders is a death for Israelis and an act of suicide for the Palestinians.”
Standing in front of a banner that read “French and Israelis united against terrorism,” Sacha Reingewirtz, the President of UEJF, told demonstrators that, “Israel has a right to exist. When we do not recognize the right of a country to defend itself against attacks with a knife, gun, and cars being rammed into people, it is the same as not recognizing its legitimacy,” reports Ynet News.
“I love Israel and I want to be able to say that without being treated as a criminal occupier, a murderer,” he continued. The Israeli Ambassador to France, Aliza Bin Nun, called on international media outlets to not “draw a false comparison between Israeli citizens and those who stab them to death.”
In Rome, JTA estimates some 2,000 attendees at a similar rally, organized by the local Jewish community in conjunction with the Union of Italian Jewish Communities.
“The Palestinians have made an art form of turning the aggressor into a victim,” said Israel’s Ambassador to Italy, Naor Gilon. “Unfortunately, there are those in the international media who cooperate with them.”
Also on Sunday in Rome, Pope Francis called on both Israelis and Palestinians to “say no to hate.”
“In this moment there is a need for much courage and much fortitude to say no to hate and vendetta and make gestures of peace,” he said in St. Peter’s Square after Mass.
In Madrid, over 300 demonstrators arrived holding banners that read, “Yo estoy con Israel” (I am with Israel), reports Ynet.
ACOM (Action and Communication in the Middle East) president Angel Mas told demonstrators that Israel is “the last frontier between civilization and barbarianism,” according to the Jerusalem Post.
Demonstrators also sang Hatikvah, the Israeli national anthem, and waved Israeli flags.