A wave of protests broke out in many countries in Europe and America, and the conflict between Palestine and Israel triggered the "butterfly effect"
Since the Palestinian Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) launched a sudden attack on Israel on October 7th, local time, the fierce conflict between Israel and Hamas lasted for more than 10 days. With the protracted war and the rising casualties in the process, the impact of this conflict is rapidly breaking through the regional scope, especially to countries in Europe and America.
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In the early morning of October 18th, local time, a Jewish community center in the center of Berlin, Germany was attacked by incendiary bombs. On the same day, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz announced the strengthening of security precautions and stressed that Germany would never tolerate attacks on Jewish institutions.
Later that day, the Palace of Versailles Museum in the west of Paris, France, announced on social media that it was temporarily closed and evacuated for "security reasons". This is the third time that the Palace of Versailles Museum has evacuated tourists since the security alert level of anti-terrorism in France was raised to the highest level. In addition, airports in Lille, Toulouse, Lyon and other places in France were temporarily closed and evacuated on the same day because of bomb threats.
The reason why the "security nerve" is so tense is not that France and Germany are "too cautious", but that in the past few days, several deadly attacks that are directly or indirectly related to the current conflict in Palestine and Israel have occurred in many European countries and the United States.
A knife attack occurred in a high school in the northern French city of Alas on the 13th, killing one teacher and seriously injuring three others. After the attack, the French government decided to raise the national anti-terrorism security alert level to the highest level on the evening of the 13th. French Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin said in the media: "There is no doubt that there is a connection between what is happening in the Middle East and the actions of the French Alas attackers."
According to a poll released on the 15th, anxiety is spreading in France, and 85% of the respondents said they were worried about their own safety.
On the 14th local time, an American man stabbed a 6-year-old boy and stabbed his mother in a small town on the outskirts of Chicago. The local police said that the attack was related to the religious beliefs of the victims and the current Palestinian-Israeli conflict. This has caused concern about hate crimes from all walks of life in the United States.
A shooting incident occurred in Brussels, Belgium, on the evening of 16th, killing two Swedish fans and injuring another. The Belgian National Crisis Center subsequently announced that the security alert level in the Brussels region was raised to the highest level 4. A self-proclaimed murderer declared on social media that he was loyal to the extremist organization "Islamic State".
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Apart from attacks and security threats, this conflict between Hamas and Israel has once again ignited the "fuse" of protests and demonstrations in many countries in Europe and America.
French Interior Minister Darmanin said on the 14th that since the 7th, the number of demonstrations in France has increased and 65 people have been arrested.
The French government recently issued a new ban on holding pro-Palestinian political gatherings in the country, and the organizers of any such protests will be arrested on the grounds of public order concerns. On the day of the ban, hundreds of demonstrators held a rally in the center of Paris, and the French police used tear gas and water cannons to disperse the crowd.
Not only France, but also disputes surrounding the Palestinian-Israeli conflict are equally fierce in many European countries.
In Berlin, the German capital, the police recently banned planned pro-Palestinian demonstrations for the risk of "anti-Semitic remarks and beautifying violence". In the center of London, the British capital, a large-scale demonstration broke out on the 14th, with thousands of participants. The demonstrators held high the Palestinian flag and slogan "Liberation of Palestine", and thousands of police officers kept order at the scene.
The United States on the other side of the Atlantic has not escaped the "wave" of opposition and hatred between civil protests and demonstrations and different groups of people.
On the 16th local time, hundreds of people called for a ceasefire between Palestine and Israel outside the White House, and more than 30 people were arrested for crossing obstacles to block the entrance to the White House. Prior to this, thousands of Palestinian supporters held demonstrations in Washington, and some of the demonstrators held placards such as "End the occupation" and "Cease fire immediately".
According to the US "Political News Network" reported on the 15th, in recent days, violent crimes caused by anti-Semitism or Islamophobia are on the rise. According to the Chicago Committee on US-Islamic Relations, the number of hate messages it has received every day is even comparable to that of the September 11th incident, ranging from shouting insulting slogans against Muslims and spreading "Islamophobia" to threats of violence and gloating over the deaths of civilians in Gaza.
On 14th, Christopher Babers, director of the US Federal Bureau of Investigation, admitted in his speech at the meeting of the International Association of Police Chiefs in San Diego that the threat of domestic reports in the United States has increased due to "environmental deterioration", and he called for vigilance.
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Fierce wars and persistent turmoil in Palestine and Israel may have a more lasting and profound spillover effect on European countries.
Reuters and many other media believe that French society is being "torn apart" by the new round of Palestinian-Israeli conflict. On the one hand, demonstrations with different positions, such as "stand up for Israel" and "stand up for Pakistan", were staged in the city centers all over France in turn; On the other hand, political forces such as the far-left "Unyielding French Party" refused to condemn Hamas and called Hamas’s attack "an armed attack by the Palestinian army".
At the EU level, the war between Israel and Hamas has also caused some differences.
On the 13th local time, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to express his support for Israel in the new round of Palestinian-Israeli conflict.
Radio France International pointed out that Ursula von der Leyen only emphasized in his speech that "Israel has the right to fight back ‘ Hamas’s cruelty ’ " But there is no mention of the humanitarian crisis facing the people of Gaza. This statement, which only supports Israel but does not emphasize Israel’s need to abide by international humanitarian law, has aroused widespread criticism within the EU.
Borrell, the EU’s High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, quickly said that as the representative of the EU’s official position, he disagreed with Ursula von der Leyen’s speech. Including Spanish, Irish, Belgian and French diplomats, also expressed their dissatisfaction with Ursula von der Leyen.
In addition to the possible division among European countries and within the EU, the President of the European Council, Michelle, also warned on the 13th that the current conflict between Palestine and Israel may lead to more refugees from the Middle East flooding into Europe, which will not only trigger protests from anti-immigrants, but also further aggravate the tension between Palestinian and Israeli supporters in Europe.