Hundreds of demonstrators held a pro-Palestinian rally in downtown Los Angeles on Saturday afternoon, chanting “Free Palestine” and “Long live the intifada” as they protested Israel’s war in Gaza and Lebanon while marching from Pershing Square to City Hall.
The demonstration came two days before the anniversary of Oct. 7, when Hamas militants in Gaza attacked Israel, killing an estimated 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and taking about 250 hostages.
Across Los Angeles, the anniversary will be marked by commemorations for the victims, candle-lighting ceremonies, demonstrations and counter-demonstrations.
Over the last year, Israeli military operations in Gaza — and more recently, against the Hamas-allied militant group Hezbollah in Lebanon — have been the focus of protests. More than 41,000 Palestinians in Gaza have died in Israeli retaliatory attacks, according to the Gazan Health Ministry. Its figures do not distinguish between combatants and civilians, but they indicate that more than half of the dead are women and children.
A child holds a Palestinian flag while wearing a kaffiyeh at the Pershing Square rally.
(Michael Blackshire / Los Angeles Times)
There appeared to be as many as a thousand people at the demonstration Saturday, though police did not give a crowd estimate. The scene was filled with Palestinian and Lebanese flags. Speakers called for an end to U.S. aid to Israel and a cease-fire in Gaza and Lebanon.
At City Hall, a protest leader led the crowd in a chant of “There is only one solution, intifada revolution!” Banners read “End the Siege of Gaza” and “Hands Off Yemen.”
Police were not a conspicuous presence at the rally, nor was the presence of counterprotesters. Los Angeles Police Officer Jay Chaves said there was one arrest reported at the event, for vandalism.
A demonstrator holds a headless doll at the rally.
(Michael Blackshire / Los Angeles Times)
Large pro-Palestinian crowds gathered around the world Saturday, with protests involving thousands in European cities. Protests became violent in Rome, and police responded with tear gas and water cannons.
In a joint public service announcement, the FBI and the Department of Homeland Security warned that the Oct. 7 anniversary “may be a motivating factor for violent extremists and hate crime perpetrators to engage in violence or threaten public safety.”