Crowd gathers for anniversary rally on October 7th in downtown LA – NBC Los Angeles

A crowd gathered in Pershing Square in downtown Los Angeles on Saturday for a rally organized by the Palestinian youth movement.

The demonstration is one of several pro-Palestinian rallies around the globe as the October 7 anniversary approaches. Rallies were planned in several cities, expected to begin on Saturday and culminate on Monday, the date of the anniversary.

The anniversary marks one year since the Hamas attack that killed 1,200 Israelis and sparked the ongoing war in Gaza.

The Pershing Square gathering began around 2 p.m. Video from NewsChopper4 showed a crowd gathered at the location, many with flags, banners and signs.

Around 3:30 p.m., the crowd began marching on area streets

Pro-Palestinian protesters also gathered in New York’s Times Square to call for a ceasefire, chanting “Gaza!” to the beat of drums. Some wore keffiyeh scarves, waved Palestinian and Lebanese flags and held a large cardboard picture of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu with red paint symbolizing blood on his face.

In Rome, several thousand demonstrated peacefully on Saturday afternoon until a smaller group tried to push the rally toward the city center, although local authorities refused to allow protests, citing security concerns.

In London, thousands marched through the capital to Downing Street under heavy police presence. The atmosphere was tense as pro-Palestinian protesters and counter-demonstrators, some carrying Israeli flags, walked past each other. Scuffles broke out as police pushed back activists who tried to get past a barrier. At least 17 people were arrested on suspicion of breaching public order, supporting a banned organization and assault, London’s Metropolitan Police said.

In the northern German city of Hamburg, about 950 people demonstrated peacefully, many waving Palestinian and Lebanese flags or chanting “Stop the genocide,” the DPA news agency reported, citing a police count. Two smaller pro-Israel counter-demonstrations took place without incident, it said.

Several thousand demonstrators gathered peacefully in Republique Plaza in Paris to show their solidarity with the Palestinian and Lebanese people. Many waved Palestinian flags and held placards reading “Stop the Genocide,” “Liberate Palestine” and “Hands Off Lebanon.”

Pro-Israel demonstrations are expected to take place on Sunday as Jews around the world still observe Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year.