Thousands rally in world capitals to protest against Gaza war

Protesting Israel's actions in Gaza, tens of thousands of protesters took to the streets over the weekend in a number of European capitals.

Violent clashes occurred in Oslo, where hundreds of Norwegians, mostly young protesters, clashed with police on Thursday night. The protesters were trying to disrupt a pro-Israeli rally being held nearby.

Norwegian police banned an anti-Israel protest planned for today opposite the Israeli embassy. In Sweden, the leader of the opposition party, Mona Sahlin, attended a march in Stockholm which condemned Operation Cast Lead.

Police in riot gear confronted about 20,000 protesters waving banners and Palestinian flags outside the Israeli embassy in central London.

About 30,000 took to the streets of Paris to call for an end to Israeli attacks in Gaza, with many demonstrators wearing Palestinian keffiyah headscarves and chanting "we are all Palestinians", "Israel murderer" and "peace."

In Berlin, thousands of demonstrators, most of whom appeared to be Muslim, convened yesterday near Alexanderplatz in the city center. German police officers confiscated Hamas flags from demonstrators while the organizers - mostly German Palestinians - urged the crowd to show restraint and refrain from shouting anti-Semitic slogans.

Police estimate that similar demonstrations across Germany attracted some 20,000 marchers.

Jewish and rightist leaders in Italy reacted with outrage to a call by a small businesswomen's union which pushed for a boycott of Jewish-owned shops in Rome to protest Israel's offensive in Gaza. Mayor Gianni Alemanno, a right-wing politician, had gone shopping on Thursday in a Jewish-owned clothing store to show his opposition to the boycott.

Rome's Jewish Community has also said it would take legal action against the boycott call, citing Italy's laws ban discrimination.

Meanwhile, in Istanbul, first ladies from Middle Eastern countries - Israel excluded - yesterday added their voices to international demands that Israel halt attacks on Gaza, withdraw troops and end its blockade. The wives of the leaders also made an emotional plea for international aid to help women and children in the stricken region.

The most violent protest rally over the weekend took place in Algiers, Algeria, where more than 60 people were injured when a march supporting Gaza's Palestinians turned violent, leaving a journalist in a coma, officials said yesterday.

The demonstration by about 30,000 people occured on Friday and 40 civilians and 23 police officers were hurt.

Thousands of people carrying Lebanese and Palestinian flags demonstrated in southern Lebanon as well. The nearly 20,000 protesters marched through the streets of the market town of Nabatiyeh in a rally organized by Hezbollah.