At least 35 pro-Palestine protests have been planned across 16 states and Washington, D.C., on the anniversary of October 7. The Israeli Ministry for Diaspora Affairs and Combating Antisemitism on Tuesday released a report, listing where demonstrations were set to take place across October all over the world, including dozens of marches in the U.S. on Wednesday, which marks the third year since Hamas militants attacked Israel, killing roughly 1,200 people and abducting 251 hostages to Gaza. Some 87 hostages died in captivity, according to the Israel Defense Forces (IDF); their remains were returned to Israel with the 186 survivors.
Israel’s response in Gaza has killed 74,245 people as of Wednesday, according to Gaza’s health ministry, which does not differentiate between civilian and militant deaths. California is hosting the most demonstrations on Wednesday (seven), followed by Washington (six) and New York state (five). Specific venues include Washington Square Park and New York City Hall; the University of Washington Quad in Seattle; Library Lawn at California State University, Northridge; and Campus Center in Honolulu.
Most of the protests have been organized by student and activist organizations, including the Palestinian Youth Movement (PYM) and Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP). Across the world, the United States has the highest number of pro-Palestine protests planned throughout October (45), followed by Spain (40), Australia (21) and the United Kingdom (19). Many pro-Palestine movements have accused Israel of carrying out genocide in Gaza, something Israel has vehemently denied, with some calling for a halt to America’s military aid to the country.
Students for Justice in Palestine at UCLA said its October 7 protest was in “commemoration of three years of escalated genocide in Palestine.” It said in a post on Instagram that the demonstration was to “recognize and uplift the unabashed resistance of the Palestinian people” and to “practice Hussain Mroue’s Fighter Grief, a grief that compels you to action rather than debilitates you.” Israel has long denied that its military campaign constitutes genocide, a position that has been supported by President Donald Trump's White House. In arguments before the International Court of Justice, where it faces a genocide case filed by South Africa, Israel said: "Israel is fighting Hamas terrorists, not the civilian population," and described the conflict as "a war of defense against Hamas -not against the Palestinian people." Several advocacy groups have spoken out against the protests, including New York’s Anti-Defamation League (ADL), which criticized a demonstration planned outside City Hall. They called the protesters “extremist groups” and said it was anti-Semitic to rally “on the third anniversary of the October 7 massacre, the deadliest attack on Jews since the Holocaust.” Similarly, Democratic Representative Josh Gottheimer, of New Jersey’s 5th Congressional District, also spoke out against a planned demonstration.
When you glorify political violence, you only invite more of it.” Newsweek’s reporters and editors used Martyn, our AI assistant, to produce this story. Learn more about Martyn here. Contact Newsweek editors on this story: Ben Kelly and Gray R.
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