Thousands march in Auckland demanding sanctions on Israel
Thousands of demonstrators are taking part in a pro-Palestinian march in Auckland, New Zealand’s biggest city, in what organisers said was the largest rally of its kind since the start of Israel’s war on Gaza.
Some 50,000 attended the March for Humanity rally in central Auckland on Saturday morning, the Aotearoa for Palestine group said. New Zealand police estimated the attendance at 20,000.
Many in the protest crowd carried Palestinian flags and banners with slogans including “Don’t normalise genocide” and “Grow a spine stand with Palestine”, public broadcaster Radio New Zealand reported.
Aotearoa for Palestine said it wanted New Zealand’s centre-right coalition government to impose sanctions on Israel.
Netherlands threatens to boycott Eurovision 2026 if Israel participates
The Netherlands has announced it will boycott the 2026 Eurovision in Vienna if Israel participates, joining other European countries that have threatened to withdraw from the song contest over Israel’s war on Gaza.
Irish broadcaster RTE released a similar statement earlier saying participating would be “unconscionable” as a result of Israel’s war on Gaza. Iceland said it may withdraw from the contest, and the Spanish PM has called for Israel to be booted from the competition.
Activists on the Global Sumud Flotilla ‘completely undeterred’
Bruno Rocha, a Brazilian activist who is part of the Global Sumud Flotilla, told Al Jazeera from Bizerte, Tunisia, that there are currently “some of the biggest demonstrations of solidarity with the Palestinian people ever” in Brazil.
“That’s the support that we are proud to carry as a delegation that is very closely linked with the Palestinian diaspora in Brazil.
“Activists of dozens of countries are here, bringing and carrying humanitarian aid as we are a non-violent humanitarian mission, but also bringing and carrying this message of support of the oppressed peoples of the world that we are not with the complicit commitments that are not doing anything, or actually some of them supporting this genocide.”
He said in the face of difficulties faced by the flotilla and drone strikes, they remain “completely undeterred”.
Boats, part of the Global Sumud Flotilla, gather at the Tunisian port of Bizerte, ahead of the scheduled departure to the Gaza Strip to break Israel’s blockade
