While Israel on Tuesday marked the second anniversary of Hamas’s October 7 massacre with memorials and national ceremonies, anti-Israel protests broke out across several countries — some featuring chants and graffiti praising the attack and its perpetrators.
One of the largest demonstrations took place in Athens, where protesters waving Palestinian flags burned Israeli flags, fired fireworks and clashed with police outside the Israeli Embassy. In Melbourne, Australia, graffiti reading “Glory to Hamas” and “October 7 — Do it again” appeared on city walls, prompting a police investigation. Pro-Palestinian rallies were also held in the city.
Woman cuts down yellow ribbons in London
(Video: LondonStandard)
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Israeli flags are set on fire in front of the embassy
(Photo: AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris)
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In London, students from several universities took to the streets to demonstrate
(Photo: JUSTIN TALLIS / AFP)
In Amsterdam, the façade of the Royal Palace in Dam Square was defaced with red paint and the words “F*** Israel.” The Dutch pro-Palestinian group Palestine Action NL claimed responsibility, saying the act was in protest of the city’s decision to ban a Palestinian memorial event while allowing what it called “Zionist propaganda.”
In London, police opened an investigation after a young woman was filmed cutting down yellow ribbons tied in solidarity with Israeli hostages. When confronted, she said the ribbons “justify genocide.” Students from several London universities also held anti-Israel marches. Separately, a planned “pro-Palestinian bake sale” was canceled following public criticism.
In Indonesia, the world’s largest Muslim-majority country, more than 1,000 people marched toward the U.S. Embassy in Jakarta, protesting Israel’s blockade of Gaza and the detention of activists from the recent “Sumud” flotilla. Over 1,000 police officers were deployed to secure the area.
Protests were also held in Japan, where hundreds of demonstrators — including Palestinians — marched in Tokyo calling for a ceasefire in Gaza and the release of Israeli hostages. “Recognizing a Palestinian state isn’t enough if governments still cooperate with genocide,” said Lena Grace Suda, a Tokyo resident. Rallies were also reported in Osaka and Taiwan.
In New York City, pro-Palestinian groups announced demonstrations to “flood the streets” in solidarity with Gaza. The group Within Our Lifetime said its protest was held “for the victims in Gaza and all Palestinians suffering 77 years of genocide.” Israeli Consul General Ofir Akunis condemned the planned rallies, saying, “You have to be heartless monsters to protest against Israel today.”
In Istanbul, Turkish officials said the city’s iconic Galata Tower would be illuminated in the colors of the Palestinian flag to draw attention to “the humanitarian situation in Gaza.” Demonstrations were planned near the Israeli Consulate following the cancellation of British singer Robbie Williams’s concert, which was called off due to his public support for Israel.
Alongside memorial events for the Oct. 7 Hamas attack held in countries such as Germany and Australia, world leaders also marked the symbolic date — including Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, French President Emmanuel Macron, U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres, and New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani, who called the war a “war of genocide.”
Starmer, addressing the anniversary amid an antisemitic attack on a Manchester synagogue that left two Jewish worshipers dead, said the passage of time “does not lessen the evil we witnessed that day — the worst attack on the Jewish people since the Holocaust. The brutal torture and murder of Jews in their homes, and the kidnapping of civilians — including British citizens, some still in Gaza. We will continue to stand united against those who promote harm and hatred toward Jewish communities.”
Macron, in a post on X written partly in Hebrew, said: “Two years since the unimaginable horrors of Hamas’s terrorist attack, the pain remains like an open wound. We do not forget. Our hearts and thoughts are with all the victims — including 51 of our compatriots — and with the 48 hostages still held by Hamas. France continues its tireless efforts to bring them home.”
He added, “France renews its call: the release of all hostages and a cease-fire must happen without delay. We share the sorrow of bereaved families and the anguish of those still waiting. Such horror must never happen again. We must unite all our forces to fight antisemitism — everywhere — and to build peace.”
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said in a statement: “We will never forget the horrors of Hamas’s Oct. 7 attack and the pain inflicted on innocent victims, their families and all of Israel.” She urged both the release of the hostages and an end to the war, adding: “We must seize this moment to pave the way for lasting peace based on a two-state solution.”
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez struck a sharply different tone, accusing Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of committing “genocide.” “Today marks two years since Hamas’s horrific attack. It is a day to once again condemn terrorism in all its forms, to demand the immediate release of Israeli hostages — and to demand that Netanyahu stop the Palestinian genocide and open a humanitarian corridor,” he wrote. “Dialogue and a two-state solution are the only path to peace.”
Zohran Mamdani, an anti-Israel New York City mayoral candidate, issued a statement condemning Hamas but also denouncing what he called “occupation, apartheid and genocide.” On X, he wrote: “Two years ago today, Hamas committed a horrifying war crime in which more than 1,100 Israelis were killed and 250 others were taken hostage. I mourn their loss and pray for the safe return of all hostages still held, and for all the families whose lives were torn apart by these atrocities.”