All major wire services globally have covered the wave of demonstrations on Saturday, Nov. 4 in capitals around the world; although hard counts aren’t available, it appears that it could be approaching 2 million people who participated in Jakarta, Washington, D.C., London, Berlin, Paris, Milan, and other cities. Most coverage had excellent photos or videos capturing the character and scale of the demonstrations.
The largest demonstration occurred in Jakarta, with estimates of 1-2 million people. Signs read “For the love of humanity, ceasefire now,” and “Save the children in Gaza.” The peaceful rally was led by the Indonesian Ulema Council, the country’s highest Islamic authority, supported by the government, and had interfaith solidarity including Muslims, Buddhists and Christians.
Woah 😳 DC is packed! pic.twitter.com/YJmygbhKpH
— Jose Vega — Vote Diane Sare! (@JosBtrigga) November 4, 2023
Sputnik coverage of the Washington, D.C. rally quotes Brian Becker, the National Coordinator of the ANSWER Coalition, who said organizers only expected 30-100,000 people. “Well, there are over 100,000 people, we don’t know the exact number. It’s the biggest demonstration to support Palestinian rights in the history of the United States,” Becker said. Other organizer estimates reported up to 300,000.
It also reported that dozens of American activist groups were involved, including Jewish Voice for Peace, the ANSWER Coalition, CODEPINK, American Muslim Alliance, and noted, “Several large screens have been installed along Pennsylvania Ave. for people to watch and listen to the rally. Multiple international media are covering the protest. Many participants carry the flags of their own countries who also oppose the current events in Gaza, including Türkiye, Tunisia and Egypt.”
