BRUSSELS (AP) 鈥 Thousands of people marched in the Belgian and German capitals on Sunday to protest soaring antisemitism since the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza.
The demonstrations in Brussels and Berlin were the latest in a series of rallies in European capitals that have expressed support for Jewish communities. Previous marches and drew tens of thousands of people. There have also been , often drawing
Marchers at the Brussels rally held up signs reading 鈥淵ou don't have to be Jewish to march against antisemitism,鈥 鈥渁ntisemitism kills鈥 and other slogans. Police said at least 4,000 people attended.
Jo毛l Rubinfeld, president of the Belgian League Against Antisemitism, said Belgium has witnessed "a huge increase鈥 in anti-Jewish hatred since the Oct. 7 attack on Israel by Hamas militants that triggered their latest and deadliest war.
鈥淲e are living in a very complicated period,鈥 he said, adding that the rally sends 鈥渁 message to the Jewish community of Belgium to tell them that they are not alone.鈥
Meanwhile, several thousand people as Germany deals with a large increase in anti-Jewish incidents following the Oct. 7 attack.
Police estimated that around 3,200 people gathered in the rain, while organizers put the figure at 10,000, German news agency dpa reported.
