European cities see vigils to oppose antisemitism and rallies seeking relief for Gaza

LONDON — Thousands of people joined vigils in Berlin and London on Sunday to oppose antisemitism and support Israel, while in Paris and other cities, thousands of pro-Palestinian demonstrators demanded a cease-fire and relief for people in the besieged Gaza Strip.

Some of those who gathered in front of Berlin’s Brandenburg Gate carried Israeli flags or posters with photos of some of the more than 200 people seized by Hamas as hostages during the militants’ deadly Oct. 7 incursion into Israel.

“It is unbearable that Jews are living in fear again today — in our country of all places,” President Frank-Walter Steinmeier told the crowd, estimated at 20,000 by organizers and 10,000 by police. “Every single attack on Jews, on Jewish institutions is a disgrace for Germany. Every single attack fills me with shame and anger.”

Earlier, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz inaugurated a new synagogue in the eastern city of Dessau and said he was “outraged” by the upsurge in antisemitism since the conflict began.

Several buildings in Berlin where Jews live had the star of David painted on doors and walls, and assailants threw two Molotov cocktails at a synagogue in Berlin last week.

“Here in Germany, of all places,” Scholz said, vowing that “our ‘never again’ must be unbreakable.”

At a vigil attended by thousands in London’s Trafalgar Square, participants held posters bearing the images of hostages and the missing. They chanted “bring them home,” falling silent as the names of the hostages were read out.

Speakers from both the U.K.’s governing Conservative Party and the opposition Labour Party addressed the crowd. Communities Secretary Michael Gove said Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack was an act of “unparalleled evil and barbarism.”

“We must stand together against it. We must stand for life. We must bring the hostages home,” he said.

Hundreds of people rallied outside the United Nations’ offices in Geneva to demand the hostages’ release. Waving mostly Israeli, but also Swiss and German flags, the demonstrators held aloft signs that read “Children aren’t bargaining chips” or T-shirts with the words #SetThemFree.

A day earlier, about 4,500 pro-Palestinian demonstrators marched in the Swiss city of Lausanne, police said.

The war has raised tensions worldwide, leaving Jewish and Muslim communities feeling vulnerable. London’s Metropolitan Police force says it has seen a 13-fold upsurge in reports of antisemitic offenses in October compared to last year. Reports of anti-Muslim crimes have more than doubled.

Sunday’s rallies came a day after tens of thousands of pro-Palestinian demonstrators – 100,000 by police estimates – marched through the British capital to demand Israel stop its bombardment of Gaza, launched in response to Hamas’ brutal incursion.

Authorities in Gaza say more than 4,600 people have been killed in the territory since the latest war began.

More than 1,400 people have been killed in Israel, majority of them civilians slain in the Oct. 7 attack.

Israel intensified its bombardment of Gaza ahead of an expected ground offensive.