Poland/Czechia – The Israeli military operations against the Gaza Strip following the pogroms orchestrated by the terrorist organisation Hamas in southern Israel on 7 October – around 1,200 Israeli civilians (men, women and children) have been killed in appalling circumstances – have sparked numerous protests around the world, including in Europe and particularly in Central Europe, in Warsaw and Prague.

Speaker demands expulsion of Israeli ambassador

A pro-Palestinian demonstration marched in the Polish capital on Sunday 5 November along the avenue Trakt Królewski to the American Embassy on Ujazdowskie Avenue with slogans such as „Stop Genocide in Gaza”, „Solidarity with the Palestinian Resistance”, „Free Palestine”, „Peace instead of Genocide”, etc. However, as noted by the portal wyborcza.pl, „among the series of speeches, the loudest enthusiasm was generated by one person’s loud demand for the expulsion of the Israeli ambassador from Poland and the severance of diplomatic contacts.”

This kind of inappropriate comment led the Israeli ambassador Yakov Livne to react accordingly on X : “It is sad to see another anti-Semitic demonstration in Warsaw. Public support for Nazi-inspired jihadists must end. Law enforcement and education are badly needed.”

A second demonstration in front of the Israeli embassy

Another demonstration of the same style planned for Saturday 18 November and organised by Solidarnie z Palestine and Empatia Distro, with 2,000 people expected to march to the Israeli embassy in Krzywickiego street, was banned by the mayor of the Polish capital, Rafał Trzaskowski (PO), because the police feared that brawls would break out in front of the Israeli embassy. The demonstration was finally authorised by the court and was able to take place with around 10,000 people. The Palestinian ambassador to Poland, Mahmoud Khalifa, who took part, was keen to point out that „there are also crimes in the West Bank, in every town! The [Israeli] government is violating international law…”

“From the river to the sea…”

In Prague, just 200-300 people took part in a pro-Palestinian demonstration on the afternoon of Sunday 5 November between Malá Strana Square and the famous Wenceslas Square. Here too, opinions were highly critical of the actions of the Hebrew state. One participant, quoted by the Czech press, declared: „Together we can stop the genocide, together we can liberate Palestine”, while the crowd chanted the famous Palestinian slogan “From the river to the sea Palestine will be free” refering to the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea, between which the State of Israel lies, and implying that on this territory there should be only a free Palestinian State. This slogan is considered to be anti-Semitic.