ROME (Dispatches) — Hundreds of thousands of demonstrators took to the streets in London, Paris, Rome and other major cities around the globe Saturday to condemn Israeli atrocities as the first anniversary of the regime’s invasion of Gaza approached.
Massive rallies were planned in several European cities, with the largest gatherings expected from Saturday to Monday. Events will peak Monday, the date of the anniversary.
In London, thousands gathered in Russell Square amid a significant police presence. Some of the march’s organizers had said they planned to target companies and institutions “complicit in Israel’s crimes,” including Barclays Bank and the British Museum.
The atmosphere was tense as pro-Palestine protesters and counter-demonstrators passed each other. Scuffles broke out as police officers pushed back activists trying to get past a cordon. Fifteen people were arrested on suspicion of public order offenses and assault, London’s Metropolitan Police said.
In Rome, several thousand demonstrators gathered in spite of a ban by local authorities who refused to authorize protests in the Italian capital, citing security concerns. Protesters chanted “Free Palestine, Free Lebanon,” waving Palestinian flags and holding banners calling for an immediate stop to the conflict.
In the northern German city of Hamburg, about 950 people staged a peaceful demonstration with many waving Palestinian and Lebanese flags or chanting “Stop the Genocide,” the DPA news agency reported, citing a count by police.  
Several thousand protesters gathered peacefully at Paris’ Republique Plaza in a show of solidarity with the Palestinian and Lebanese people. Many were waving Palestinian flags while holding posters reading “Stop the genocide,” “Free Palestine,” and “Hands off Lebanon.”
Pro-Palestinian demonstrators also planned to join rallies in Washington, New York’s Times Square and several other cities in the United States as well as in other parts of the world, including Denmark, Switzerland, South Africa and India. In the Philippines, dozens of people protested near the U.S. Embassy in Manila, where police prevented them from getting closer to the seaside compound.
Security forces in several countries warned of heightened levels of alert in major cities, amid concerns that protests could turn violent amid the escalating conflict in the Middle East.
Pro-Palestinian protests calling for an immediate ceasefire have repeatedly taken place across Europe and around the globe in the past year and have often turned violent, with confrontations between demonstrators and law enforcement officers.
Italian authorities believed that the timing of Saturday’s rally in Rome risked the Oct. 7 operation being “glorified,” local media reported.
Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi also stressed that, ahead of the key anniversary, Europe is on high alert for potential attacks. “This is not a normal situation. … We are already in a condition of maximum prevention,” he said.
Ben Jamal, director of the Palestine Solidarity Campaign in Britain, said he and others will keep organizing marches until action against Israel is taken.
“We need to be out on the streets in even bigger numbers to stop this carnage and stop Britain being drawn into it,” Jamal said.
In Berlin, a march is scheduled from the Brandenburg Gate to Bebelplatz on Sunday. Local media reported that security forces have warned of potential overload because of the scale of protests.  

Earlier this week in France, Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau warned the country’s regional prefects, expressing concern about possible tensions.
The event in London was organized by groups including the Palestine Solidarity Campaign, with people travelling from around the country to take part.  
“We will march to demand that the British government finally ends its complicity in Israel’s genocide, and ends all arms trade with Israel. We will march to demand freedom and justice for the Palestinian people,” they said on their website.
The UK’s capital has seen huge protests against Israel’s invasion of Gaza - widely considered to be a genocide - drawing hundreds of thousands of people from across the country.
The largely peaceful protest comes one year after the October 7 operation by Hamas inside the Israeli occupied territories in retaliation for the Zionist regime’s litany of atrocities. 
The Metropolitan Police said it was hard to accurately estimate turnout but the protest “appears to be greater than other recent protests”.
The crowd stretched from Downing Street to Trafalgar Square while speakers, including ex-Labor leader Jeremy Corbyn, were addressing demonstrators.
People could be seen carrying Palestinian flags and placards with message “ceasefire now” and “hands off Lebanon”, and chanting “stop the bombing now”.
Police said they were aware of social media posts showing people holding placards with messages of support for Hezbollah and it was working to find those involved.
In Australia, protests were scheduled to take place in Melbourne and Adelaide on Saturday and Sydney on Sunday, following attempts by police to have such gatherings cancelled.
New South Wales police withdrew an application to block the protest in Sydney after a compromise was reached with the march’s organizers, the Palestine Action Group (PAG).  
In Washington, people were gathering in front of the White House to mark “one year of genocide”, while protests were to take place in Los Angeles, New York, Indianapolis, and Houston.
College campus groups are also planning events, amid new restrictions imposed by campus authorities in response to pro-Palestine organizing protests.
Following the outbreak of protests and encampments last year, students were subject to crackdowns by educational institutions and police, as well as attacks by pro-Israel groups.