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In addition to pro-Palestine protests reported earlier, Jewish communities in the US, France and other countries also held rallies on Friday in solidarity with Israel after the Hamas attack, Reuters reports, while some governments have stepped up security at synagogues and Jewish schools.
In the US, demonstrators have showed solidarity with both sides in the conflict, and major cities from New York City to Los Angeles have reinforced their police presence in Jewish and Muslim neighbourhoods.
In Washington, a rally supporting Israel and the American Jewish community drew about 200 people at the city’s Freedom Plaza, in view of the Capitol complex, where police had erected protective fencing the night before. In New York, thousands of pro-Palestinian demonstrators took to the streets.
Germany and France had banned pro-Palestinian demonstrations and several western countries said they had stepped up security at synagogues and Jewish schools fearing that protests could lead to violence.
In the Netherlands, Jewish schools were closed for safety reasons, as were two Jewish schools in London.
Police in Britain’s capital said thousands of officers were carrying out extra patrols, visiting schools, synagogues and mosques. At least two Jewish schools closed due to security fears. The boost reflected a significant increase in hate crime, particularly antisemitism, a police statement said.
In Warsaw, the chief rabbi of Poland, Michael Schudrich, was scheduled to lead a multi-confessional prayer for peace. Members of France’s Jewish community were to gather at the largest synagogue in Paris for the Sabbath.
Updated
