Thousands protest in Europe at Gaza offensive
 

http://tinyurl.com/73e7ju

LONDON (Reuters) – Thousands of chanting, banner-waving demonstrators marched in cities across Europe on Saturday to demand a halt to Israeli bombing in the Gaza Strip.

Protests were held in Britain, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain and Turkey as the Israeli offensive entered its second week, and before Israel confirmed ground forces had entered Gaza.

Israeli Arabs held a protest march, Kuwaitis also took to the streets, a day after bigger Middle East rallies, and peaceful pro- and anti-Israel protests were held in New York.

In Paris, police said more than 21,000 demonstrators, many wearing Palestinian keffiyeh headscarves, marched through the city center chanting slogans such as "Israel murderer!" and waving banners demanding an end to the air attacks.

Groups of protesters clashed with police. At least three cars were set alight and about 20 overturned by demonstrators as the march ended near some of the biggest department stores in the French capital.

In London, police said more than 10,000 people staged a march and rally to urge an end to the Israeli offensive against Hamas militants that has killed at least 446 Palestinians.

Similar protests were planned in some 30 other towns.

In many cities people waved shoes -- recalling the action of an Iraqi journalist who hurled footwear at U.S. President George W. Bush in Baghdad last month in a symbolic insult.

British demonstrators threw dozens of shoes into the street as they passed the gated entrance to Downing Street, where Prime Minister Gordon Brown lives, and shouted angrily at a line of 40 police officers on guard there.

"Come to get your shoes Gordon," one woman shouted as other marchers directed chants of "Shame on you" at Brown.

A spokesman said Brown had spoken again to Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert on Saturday and was pressing hard for an immediate ceasefire.

Leading the march were singer Annie Lennox, politicians Tony Benn and George Galloway and comic Alexei Sayle.

Demonstrators carried Palestinian flags and placards with slogans such as "End the siege on Gaza" and "Stop the massacre."

Israel says rocket attacks from Gaza by Hamas Islamists must stop before it halts operations, but the attacks continued on Saturday. Four Israelis have been killed by Hamas rockets since the offensive began.

ANGER AT WESTERN REACTION

Paul Mukerji, 42, from Birmingham, acknowledged Israel had security reasons but called its action disproportionate.

"The best way for peace for Palestinians and Israelis is to end the occupation," he said.

Ali Saeed, 24, from Luton, said Western governments had failed to condemn Israel's actions.

"What's going on in Gaza is not right ... It's not a coincidence that it's going on in Iraq, in Chechnya, in Kashmir. It's just about going on everywhere. It's almost a direct insult to every single Muslim," he said.

Greek police said they fired teargas at protesters outside the Israeli embassy in Athens. Protesters burned flags and effigies, hurled stones at the embassy and clashed with police during a march by about 5,000 people, they said.

Tens of thousands of people marched in the town of Sakhnin, northern Israel, on Saturday in one of the biggest rallies held by Israeli Arabs in recent years, Israeli media reported. Calling Israeli leaders "war criminals," the demonstrators demanded an end to the onslaught on Gaza, they said.

About 3,500 people marched in Berlin and 4,000 in the western city of Duesseldorf, police said.

Hundreds joined a protest in central Dublin.

Several thousand people demonstrated in Ankara in a second day of protests in Turkey. In smaller protests in Istanbul, demonstrators carried baby dolls smeared with fake blood.

In New York, several hundred pro-Palestinian demonstrators rallied near Times Square in a peaceful protest, calling for an immediate end to the Israeli offensive.

A few dozen pro-Israel counter-protesters gathered just across the street, but there were no clashes between the opposing groups and police reported no arrests.

More than 1,000 demonstrators marched through Kuwait City, with banners reading "Gaza will not die" and "We want a free Gaza." Other protests of at least 1,000 people took place in Madrid, Amsterdam, Milan and Turin.

I was there, we had a good turn out.

Yeah. I bet all the chanting and banner waving really toned things down a bit.

Please continue to keep us up to date on the latest European circle jerks.

Now why don't you go and raep Africa some more.

LoL!!!!!!one

Fuck off Brad you Pro-Zionist fishwife.

You just failed more than you realize. I'm going to enlighten you with a question.

Do you expect a Jew to be Non-Zionistic, racist punk?

Yea, the only problem is when the Israelis equate criticizing Israeli policy, with being anti-Jewish.

And by the way, there are plenty of Jews who aren't pro-Zionist.

But of course, Necrophagist demonstrates, as always, that he has all the wit of a retarded hamster.

Shut up. I'm leading him into something. :(

Diplomats say US blocks UN statement on Gaza

http://tinyurl.com/7kqgoj

UNITED NATIONS – The United States late Saturday blocked approval of a U.N. Security Council statement calling for an immediate cease-fire between Israel and Gaza's Hamas rulers, diplomats said.

French U.N. Ambassador Jean-Maurice Ripert, the council president, said the 15 council members could not agree on a statement in closed discussions held after Israel launched a ground invasion into the Gaza Strip on Saturday. But he said there were "strong convergences" among the members to express concern about the deteriorating situation in Gaza and the need for "an immediate, permanent and fully respected cease-fire."

Libyan Ambassador Giadalla Ettalhi said the United States during the discussions objected to "any outcome" on the proposed statement. He said efforts were made to compromise on a weaker press statement but there was no consensus.

Several other council members, speaking on condition of anonymity because negotiations were closed, also said the U.S. was responsible for the council's failure to issue a statement...

That has been their tactic for years. Now though, with the world finally having the ability like never before to see the full situation they will not be able to hide behind this feeble rhetoric.

Do you know what the definition of zionist is? It is one who believes they own the rights to the areas currently being fought over in the Middle East all because one of the jewish religious texts lays claim to it a few centuries ago. That is their whole case for all the strife they cause, old jewish texts written centuries ago. Thats the authority they use to kill thousands of innocent civilians, women, and children.

Thats what being a zionist is about.

Brad that was an epic fail. Are you a Jew? No.

You can't have a non-Jew Zionist. In the same way not all Jews are Zionists.

Failure Brad is a failure, and a Yanky I might add. Stick to those burgers son, they're all you're good for.

Anyway I don't see any protests happening in America. Hmm I wonder why?

Because America supplies Israel's military with funding and arms.

30 billion a year to be exact. It makes israel the largest recipient of US guns and money in the world. The US gives more money to israel than they do to all the African governments combined.

The same would be said about South American governments, with the exception of Columbia, which gets about 8 billion a year in funds and arms - making it #2 on the current list of countries the US sends money and arms to - in efforts of suppressing the free will of the people and propping up minority backed puppet governments.

By any chance would that be like equating a criticism of Islam with racism against Arabs? Hypothetically speaking?

No. Islamic is a religion, just like Judaism. However, fat, bald Americans like Brad here, think they're an ethnic party.

Being anti Jewish is the same as being anti Christian, anti Muslim etc.

473 People died in Ghazza, 2400 are injured....
They're not giving people a chance to defend themselves.

Hahahahaha!

It's quite startling really, Israel's PR team have pretty much managed to convince Western media that Hamas' homemade fireworks are dangerous enough to warrant an airstrike.

Sounds good to me. They're there, nobody has been able to throw them out. Why should they leave or let anybody else have their way? Obviously not because a bunch of Europeans waved some banners and moaned about it.

Yeah. Fat bald americans like me. Just when we think you may be serious, Failboy, you point out with a twinkle of mischief in your eye that there's no way you actually believe the things you say. Keep winning points for the other side, my little double agent.

The problem is that the texts supposedly give them rights to way more land than they have. Because of this, they occasionally invade somebody's country to expand their own.
This is also a major reason why much of the Middle East is pissed at them.

Our media's handling of the conflict is fucking infuriating too. I've been reading a lot of news which isn't even American to try to get a good idea - a friend turned me onto The Guardian a couple of years ago, which gives a pretty decent account, but most of the news on the subject is biased garbage.

Try NPR. brownishtext

Will do, thanks dude.

Again you're wrong. Judaism is a religion yes, but a true Jew belongs to a race as well, those descended from Abraham, and eventually spread throughout Europe and the Middle East. Get your history straight, and stop embarrassing us.