On the eve of 7 October, people across the world, including Luxembourg, organised demonstrations against the war in the Middle East and to call for a ceasefire in Gaza and Lebanon.
It has been one year since tensions escalated dramatically in the Middle East following Hamas' attack on an Israeli music festival, resulting in the deaths of around 1,200 people. In response, Israel has launched deadly military operations in Gaza, leading to significant civilian casualties, mostly women and children, with nearly 42,000 people killed.
To mark the tragic anniversary of the beginning of the war, a number of peaceful gatherings took place starting at 10am on Sunday, 6 October, in front of the historic post office building in the center of Luxembourg's capital.
Together, attendants read out the names of the thousands of children "massacred in the genocide perpetrated by Israel." Around 15 to 20 people people took part in the sit-in.
Police officers were at the scene to maintain order, prohibiting the use of megaphones, among other measures. The "Waassermeloun" collective ("watermelon" in Luxembourgish), one of the co-organisers of the demonstration, had previously applied for authorisation to demonstrate at this location, but Luxembourg City Council (VdL) did not respond to the request.
According to the collective, "at around 12.30pm the police arrived and threatened to arrest those present if they did not leave by 1pm. The demonstrators decided to stay until the scheduled time despite the police's threats."
Related:
Israel marks first anniversary of Hamas's October 7 attack
Thousands march for Palestinians ahead of Oct 7 anniversary
