Demonstrators in Washington, D.C., hold up signs opposing Israel's genocide on November 4. The front sign, by the International Youth and Students for Social Equality, reads “Biden and Netanyahu are war criminals!”
This weekend, millions of people in cities throughout the world took part in the largest mass demonstrations yet against Israel’s genocide in Gaza, carried out with the complicity of the imperialist powers.
These global demonstrations are historic. Despite the total support of the governments of the US-NATO axis for Israel’s actions, despite the relentless slander and propaganda in the media, despite the threats and intimidation against those who have spoken out, millions of people took a stand against genocide.
During the Holocaust, the Nazis were able to transport millions of Jews to gas chambers without the world being aware of it. But now, masses of people, all over the world, are witnessing a genocide in real-time, through modern communication technology, and they are being galvanized into action.
In the United States, 300,000 people marched in Washington, D.C., the cockpit of imperialist war planning. Tens of thousands took part in protests in New York, Chicago, Los Angeles and other cities, including San Francisco, where more than 10,000 demonstrated. In Canada, 40,000 people marched from the US consulate in Toronto to the provincial legislature.
Following the demonstration of 300,000 in London last week, close to 50,000 protested in London’s Trafalgar Square this weekend, and tens of thousands more demonstrated in towns and cities across the UK—including Manchester, Birmingham, Glasgow, Edinburgh, Cardiff and Belfast.
Despite efforts by the German government to criminalize opposition to Israel’s genocide, there were tens of thousands on the streets throughout the country. The biggest demonstrations took place in Berlin (over 20,000) and in Düsseldorf (30,000). Thousands also protested in other cities, such as Stuttgart, Munich and Frankfurt.
Workers and young people throughout the Asia-Pacific region joined demonstrations. In Indonesia, millions rallied in Jakarta, with some estimates on social media placing the turnout at two million. Tens of thousands participated in protests in Malaysia, including at a packed soccer stadium in Terengganu. Thousands marched in Tokyo, Japan and hundreds rallied in Seoul, South Korea. In Australia and New Zealand, tens of thousands joined marches in all the major cities, including Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Auckland.