PARIS (AP) — Crowds were participating in pro-Palestinian and pro-Israeli protests and memorial events across Europe, North Africa and Asia on Sunday on the eve of the first anniversary of the Hamas attack on Israel.
Sunday’s events follow massive rallies that took place Saturday in several European cities, including London, Berlin, Paris and Rome. Other events are scheduled through the week, with an expected peak on Monday, the date of the anniversary.
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People attend a demonstration in support of Israel to mark the first anniversary of the Hamas attack on Israel, at the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin, Germany, Sunday, Oct. 6, 2024. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber)
People attend a demonstration in support of Israel to mark the first anniversary of the Hamas attack on Israel, at the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin, Germany, Sunday, Oct. 6, 2024. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber)
People attend a demonstration in support of Israel to mark the first anniversary of the Hamas attack on Israel, in Berlin, Germany, Sunday, Oct. 6, 2024. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber)
People attend a demonstration in support of Israel to mark the first anniversary of the Hamas attack on Israel, in Berlin, Germany, Sunday, Oct. 6, 2024. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber)
People attend a demonstration in support of Israel to mark the first anniversary of the Hamas attack on Israel, in Berlin, Germany, Sunday, Oct. 6, 2024. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber)
People attend a demonstration in support of Israel to mark the first anniversary of the Hamas attack on Israel, in Paris, Sunday, Oct. 6, 2024.(AP Photo/Louise Delmotte)
People attend a demonstration in support of Israel to mark the first anniversary of the Hamas attack on Israel, in Paris, Sunday, Oct. 6, 2024. (AP Photo/Louise Delmotte)
People attend a demonstration in support of Israel to mark the first anniversary of the Hamas attack on Israel, in Paris, Sunday, Oct. 6, 2024.(AP Photo/Louise Delmotte)
A Moroccan man carries a sign during a protest in support of Gaza and Lebanon, in Rabat, Morocco, Sunday, Oct. 6, 2024 (AP Photo/Mosa'ab Elshamy)
Moroccan women wave flags and chant slogans in support of Gaza and Lebanon during a protest in Rabat, Morocco, Sunday, Oct. 6, 2024 (AP Photo/Mosa'ab Elshamy)
Pro-Palestinian supporters rally in Sydney, Sunday, Oct. 6, 2024. (AP Photo/Rick Rycroft)
Pro-Palestinian supporters rally in Sydney, Sunday, Oct. 6, 2024. (AP Photo/Rick Rycroft)
Pro-Palestinian supporters rally in Sydney, Sunday, Oct. 6, 2024. (AP Photo/Rick Rycroft)
Police officers inspect a flag as pro-Palestinian supporters rally in Sydney, Sunday, Oct. 6, 2024. (AP Photo/Rick Rycroft)
A man bangs a drum during a march as pro-Palestinian supporters rally in Sydney, Sunday, Oct. 6, 2024. (AP Photo/Rick Rycroft)
Women wave flags and chant slogans in support of Gaza and Lebanon during a protest in Rabat, Morocco, Sunday, Oct. 6, 2024 (AP Photo/Mosa'ab Elshamy)
Pro-Palestinian supporters rally in Sydney, Sunday, Oct. 6, 2024. (AP Photo/Rick Rycroft)
People attend a demonstration in support of Israel to mark the first anniversary of the Hamas attack on Israel, at the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin, Germany, Sunday, Oct. 6, 2024. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber)
Two young women write on a giant flag as pro-Palestinian supporters rally in Sydney, Sunday, Oct. 6, 2024. (AP Photo/Rick Rycroft)
People attend a demonstration in support of Israel to mark the first anniversary of the Hamas attack on Israel, at the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin, Germany, Sunday, Oct. 6, 2024. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber)
People march on the street as Pro-Palestinian supporters rally in Sydney, Sunday, Oct. 6, 2024. (AP Photo/Rick Rycroft)
At a march in Berlin, near the Brandenburg Gate, hundreds of pro-Israeli demonstrators set off up the famed Unter den Linden behind a banner that read “Against all antisemitism,” accompanied by a police escort.
With many Israeli flags waving over head, some Jewish leaders led a song about “shalom” — peace — while marchers chanted “Free Gaza from Hamas!” and “Bring them home,” referring to hostages still held in the Gaza Strip.
Thousands gathered in Paris for a Jewish memorial event featuring speakers and artists paying tribute to those killed in the Oct. 7 attack and stand with those still in captivity.
Ayelet Samerano, mother of Jonathan Samerano, who died after he was shot and kidnapped on Oct. 7 at the Supernova festival, said “we are a united people. Together we are strong ... no enemy will bring us down. With this unity and strength, we will bring our loved ones home.”
In London, thousands gathered in Hyde Park in a similar memorial event. The crowds chanted “Bring them home” and waved Israeli flags and placards with the faces of hostages still held by Hamas.
Meanwhile, people took to the streets from Pakistan to Morocco in massive pro-Palestinian demonstrations.
In Morocco’s capital, Rabat, thousands marched by the parliament and called on the government to revoke its 2020 agreement formalizing the country's ties with Israel.
Abdelilah Miftah, from Casablanca, said Palestinians and Lebanese were now facing “Israeli arrogance.”
"Israel is not respecting any laws and is waging an aggressive war against them,” Miftah said.
The protest in Rabat was among the largest in months. Morocco’s government has spoken out against the war in Gaza but retained its ties with Israel.
In the southern Pakistani city of Karachi, a massive pro-Palestinian rally was organized by the country’s largest religious political party, Jamaat-e-Islami. Its chief, Hafiz Naeem Ur Rehman, said the protest “is to wake up the world. ... This protest is to tell the U.S. that it is supporting terrorists.”
Earlier on Sunday in Australia, thousands of people rallied in support of Palestinians and Lebanon. A pro-Israeli rally also took place in Melbourne.
Samantha Gazal said she came to the rally in Sydney “because I can’t believe our government is giving impunity to a violent extremist nation and has done nothing. ... We’re watching the violence play out on livestream, and they’re doing nothing.”
In Melbourne, supporters of Israel held up posters showing Israeli hostages who are still missing.
“We feel like we didn’t do anything to deserve this,” said Jeremy Wenstein, one of the participants. “We’re just supporting our brothers and sisters who are fighting a war that they didn’t invite.”
Security forces in several countries warned of heightened levels of alert in major cities, amid concerns that the escalating conflict in the Middle East could inspire new terror attacks in Europe or that some of the protests could turn violent.
France's interior minister was to hold a special security meeting on Sunday evening to assess the “terror threat,” his office said.
On Sunday, Italy’s Premier Giorgia Meloni expressed her “full solidarity” with police, the day after after security forces used tear gas and water cannons to disperse violent demonstrators in Rome.
Meloni firmly condemned clashes between a few pro-Palestinian demonstrators and law enforcement officers, saying it was “intolerable that dozens of officers are injured during a demonstration.”
Thirty police officers and four protesters were hurt in clashes at the pro-Palestinian march in Rome Saturday, local media said. In Rome’s central Piazzale Ostiense, hooded protesters threw stones, bottles and even a street sign at the police, who responded using water cannons and tear gas.
Pope Francis, celebrating his Sunday Angelus prayer from the Vatican, issued a new appeal for peace “on every front.” Francis also urged his audience not to forget the many hostages still held in Gaza, asking for “their immediate liberation.”
The pope called for a day of prayer and fasting on Monday, the first anniversary of the attack.
On Oct. 7 last year, Hamas launched a surprise attack into Israel, killing 1,200 Israelis, taking 250 people hostage and setting off a war with Israel that has shattered much of the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip.
More than 41,000 Palestinians have been killed since then in Gaza, according to the Gaza Health Ministry, which does not differentiate between fighters and civilians. It says more than half were women and children.
Nearly 100 Israeli hostages remain in Gaza, with fewer than 70 believed to be alive. Israelis have experienced attacks — missiles from Iran and Hezbollah, explosive drones from Yemen, fatal shootings and stabbings — as the region braces for further escalation.
In late September, Israel shifted some of its focus to Hezbollah, which holds much of the power in parts of southern Lebanon and some other areas of the country, attacking the militants with exploding pagers, airstrikes and, eventually, incursions into Lebanon.
Zampano reported from Rome. Associated Press writers Sam Metz in Rabat, Morocco and Sylvia Hui in London contributed to this report.
People attend a demonstration in support of Israel to mark the first anniversary of the Hamas attack on Israel, at the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin, Germany, Sunday, Oct. 6, 2024. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber)
People attend a demonstration in support of Israel to mark the first anniversary of the Hamas attack on Israel, at the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin, Germany, Sunday, Oct. 6, 2024. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber)
People attend a demonstration in support of Israel to mark the first anniversary of the Hamas attack on Israel, in Berlin, Germany, Sunday, Oct. 6, 2024. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber)
People attend a demonstration in support of Israel to mark the first anniversary of the Hamas attack on Israel, in Berlin, Germany, Sunday, Oct. 6, 2024. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber)
People attend a demonstration in support of Israel to mark the first anniversary of the Hamas attack on Israel, in Berlin, Germany, Sunday, Oct. 6, 2024. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber)
People attend a demonstration in support of Israel to mark the first anniversary of the Hamas attack on Israel, in Paris, Sunday, Oct. 6, 2024.(AP Photo/Louise Delmotte)
People attend a demonstration in support of Israel to mark the first anniversary of the Hamas attack on Israel, in Paris, Sunday, Oct. 6, 2024. (AP Photo/Louise Delmotte)
People attend a demonstration in support of Israel to mark the first anniversary of the Hamas attack on Israel, in Paris, Sunday, Oct. 6, 2024.(AP Photo/Louise Delmotte)
A Moroccan man carries a sign during a protest in support of Gaza and Lebanon, in Rabat, Morocco, Sunday, Oct. 6, 2024 (AP Photo/Mosa'ab Elshamy)
Moroccan women wave flags and chant slogans in support of Gaza and Lebanon during a protest in Rabat, Morocco, Sunday, Oct. 6, 2024 (AP Photo/Mosa'ab Elshamy)
Pro-Palestinian supporters rally in Sydney, Sunday, Oct. 6, 2024. (AP Photo/Rick Rycroft)
Pro-Palestinian supporters rally in Sydney, Sunday, Oct. 6, 2024. (AP Photo/Rick Rycroft)
Pro-Palestinian supporters rally in Sydney, Sunday, Oct. 6, 2024. (AP Photo/Rick Rycroft)
Police officers inspect a flag as pro-Palestinian supporters rally in Sydney, Sunday, Oct. 6, 2024. (AP Photo/Rick Rycroft)
A man bangs a drum during a march as pro-Palestinian supporters rally in Sydney, Sunday, Oct. 6, 2024. (AP Photo/Rick Rycroft)
Women wave flags and chant slogans in support of Gaza and Lebanon during a protest in Rabat, Morocco, Sunday, Oct. 6, 2024 (AP Photo/Mosa'ab Elshamy)
Pro-Palestinian supporters rally in Sydney, Sunday, Oct. 6, 2024. (AP Photo/Rick Rycroft)
People attend a demonstration in support of Israel to mark the first anniversary of the Hamas attack on Israel, at the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin, Germany, Sunday, Oct. 6, 2024. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber)
Two young women write on a giant flag as pro-Palestinian supporters rally in Sydney, Sunday, Oct. 6, 2024. (AP Photo/Rick Rycroft)
People attend a demonstration in support of Israel to mark the first anniversary of the Hamas attack on Israel, at the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin, Germany, Sunday, Oct. 6, 2024. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber)
People march on the street as Pro-Palestinian supporters rally in Sydney, Sunday, Oct. 6, 2024. (AP Photo/Rick Rycroft)
AVONDALE, Ariz. (AP) — Christopher Bell made it clear Saturday that he believes NASCAR cheated him out of a shot at the Cup Series title when he was punished for reacting to race manipulation in the final playoff qualifying race.
Bell moved out of fellow Toyota driver Bubba Wallace’s way last Sunday because Wallace had an allegedly flat tire. That caused him to hit the wall on the final lap at Martinsville Speedway and he rode it a bit for momentum — a move that had been banned after Ross Chastain did it in 2022 to claim the final spot in NASCAR’s winner-take-all championship finale.
“My intentions were never to ride the wall; I didn’t gain an advantage riding the wall,” Bell said. “I don’t believe I broke a rule. I feel cheated. I feel cheated out of the chance to compete for a championship and it all started whenever the race got fixed and manipulated by Chevrolet.
“I feel like I should have never been in that situation had the race been ran fairly, (William Byron) would have lost enough spots to get me into the final race.”
It took NASCAR nearly 30 minutes after the race at Martinsville to decide if Bell had committed a safety violation and if he or Byron was going to receive the final spot in the finale. Both drivers waited by their cars, with NASCAR finally giving Byron the spot.
That denied Bell a third consecutive trip to the championship four.
“I understood his comments and I understand how he feels,” team owner Joe Gibbs said. “I think what happened could have been handled much differently.”
Bell insisted Saturday he was forced into hitting the wall because Chevrolet drivers Ross Chastain and Austin Dillon were blatantly blocking cars from passing Byron, whom Bell was fighting for the final position in the championship race.
“I could very clearly see the race manipulation and the race fixing that was going on,” Bell said.
NASCAR issued $600,000 in fines and suspended nine team members from Chastain's, Dillon's and Wallace’s crews for Sunday’s season finale. In Friday’s annual state of the sport address, chief operating officer Steve O’Donnell said the racing at Martinsville “pissed me off, and it pissed everyone off at NASCAR because we all know better.”
NASCAR has had a call with Chevrolet, Ford and Toyota and assured them there will “1,000%” be a rule next year prohibiting race manipulation, and a private driver meeting was held early Saturday at Phoenix with NASCAR executives to discuss the issue.
“I feel like I should be in the championship four, yes,” Bell said. “So, in the race, when the manipulation happened — it was clear that I needed a position. With (Wallace) falling back, we got that position and whenever we crossed the finish line, (I) was in. So, with the cards that were dealt, (I) was in position to make the championship event, and we are not in it.”
NASCAR said it strongly considered suspending the drivers involved in the race manipulation — a penalty Bell wasn’t sure he agreed with. But he noted that manufacturers traditionally have worked together at Daytona and Talladega in the draft when pitting and in deciding who to push in traffic.
Bell pointed out that Kyle Larson did not push Ford driver Brad Keselowski to the win in the closing laps at Talladega Superspeedway and that win went to fellow Chevrolet driver Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
“I don’t envy the situation that we are in because talking about team racing, that has been a staple of speedway racing for a long time, and I don’t know what the answer is, especially when it comes to the superspeedway races,” Bell said. “There is a lot of it that goes behind the scenes.”
Denny Hamlin, meanwhile, said that Wallace’s tire was “completely bald” when inspected postrace. Hamlin owns Wallace’s car at 23XI Racing but is Bell’s teammate at Joe Gibbs Racing.
Wallace — one of the three drivers whose teams were penalized by NASCAR in the aftermath of the Martinsville fiasco — made it clear that he doesn't believe he did anything wrong on the racetrack.
“We can all agree to disagree,” Wallace said. “It is what it is, but we're here in Phoenix.”
Wallace said that he was disappointed that the 23XI team didn't appeal his team's penalty, but also understands the decision since his teammate Tyler Reddick is racing for a championship on Sunday.
“We have to have all of our eggs in the same basket, and the time invested in the right things,” Wallace said.
Wallace added that he was upset crew chief Robert “Bootie” Barker would be suspended for their final race together. 23XI made the announcement that Barker was moving into an executive role in 2025.
Brad Keselowski said he understands all the dynamics involved in the Martinsville finish make it a complicated situation, but ultimately, behavior won't change until drivers are suspended for rules violations.
“The message never seems to get across until it gets across,” Keselowski said. “We're no different than children in that regard. Until you ground them, they're just going to continue pushing the envelope.”
RFK Racing made an announcement earlier this week that Matt McCall won't return as Keselowski's crew chief in 2025.
Keselowski said it was a mutual decision to make a change, but praised McCall's leadership over the past three years.
“He helped turn our company around,” Keselowski said. “He's been a big part of that. Probably doesn't get enough credit for it. Everything hasn't gone perfect and I think he'd be the first to tell you that, but I'm really proud of what he helped us achieve.”
Keselowski said there hasn’t been a decision on McCall's replacement, though he said he expected “a lot of things will come together in the next two or three weeks.”
AP auto racing: https://apnews.com/hub/auto-racing
Christopher Bell drives on track during the NASCAR Cup Series auto race at Homestead-Miami Speedway in Homestead, Fla., Sunday, Oct. 27, 2024. (AP Photo/Terry Renna)