Hundreds gathered in the Austrian capital on Thursday to denounce the ongoing Israeli genocidal war in Gaza and recent attacks on Iran.

The demonstration, held in central Vienna, saw participants waving Palestinian and Iranian flags and chanting slogans demanding an immediate halt to what they described as a campaign of genocide and aggression by the Israeli state.

Protesters chanted “Free Palestine,” “No to genocide in Gaza,” and “Hands off Iran,” expressing solidarity with the Palestinian and Iranian people and condemning what they termed the silence of the international community in the face of ongoing atrocities.

Amine, one of the demonstration’s organizers, emphasized the diverse makeup of the crowd. “People from different religions and ethnicities have come together to stand against the oppression of the Zionist regime,” she said. “The world watches these crimes live on television, yet the majority remain silent.”

Amine highlighted that more than 50,000 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza since the beginning of Israel’s military campaign, which she described as a U.S.-backed war of extermination. She also pointed to a series of Israeli attacks on Iranian territory since June 13, warning that regional escalation is intensifying.

Since October 7, 2023, the Gaza Strip has endured one of the deadliest and most destructive offensives in its history. According to protest organizers, approximately 186,000 Palestinians have been killed or wounded in the conflict, with tens of thousands still missing and hundreds of thousands displaced.

Despite international outcry and rulings from international legal bodies, the military operations have shown no sign of abating.

Demonstrators in Vienna called on global leaders and civil society to break their silence and take meaningful action to halt what they termed war crimes and crimes against humanity being committed in the region. (ILKHA)