Tens of thousands march in Barcelona to protest Israel's war in Gaza
Barcelona (AP): Tens of thousands of people are marching in Barcelona as Spain, Italy and Portugal gear up for mass demonstrations on Saturday to protest Israel's war in Gaza.
Protests in Spain's second-largest city as well as in Madrid were called for weeks ago, while calls for demonstrations in Rome and Lisbon followed widespread anger after the Israeli interception of a humanitarian aid flotilla that had set sail from Barcelona, trying to break the blockade of the Palestinian territory.
Over 40 Spaniards, including a former Barcelona mayor, are among the 450 activists that Israel removed from the flotilla's boats this week.
Italy already saw more than 2 million people rally on Friday across the country in a one-day general strike to support the residents of Gaza.
Spain has seen an upsurge of support for Palestinians in recent weeks while its left-wing government intensifies diplomatic efforts against the far-right government of Benjamin Netanyahu.
Protests against the presence of an Israeli-owned cycling team repeatedly disrupted the Spanish Vuelta last month, while Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez called the destruction in Gaza a “genocide” and asked for the ban of all Israeli teams from international sporting events.
The calls for protests in Southern Europe come as Hamas said it has accepted some elements of the plan laid out by US President Donald Trump to end the two-year war, which has left Gaza's largest city in famine and stirred accusations of genocide against Israel.
Barcelona's town hall said police estimated that 70,000 turned out for Saturday's demonstration.
People packed Barcelona's wide Passeig de Gracia, the city's main central boulevard. Many families turned out, along with people of all ages. Protesters carried Palestinian flags or wore t-shirts supporting Palestine. Hand-held signs bore messages like “Gaza hurts me,” “Stop the Genocide,” and “Hands off the flotilla.”
While the protests will likely not sway Israel's government, protesters hope they could inspire other demonstrations and encourage European leaders to take a harder line against Israel.
María Jesús Parra, 63, carried a Palestinian flag high after making an hourlong trip from her home in another town to Barcelona. She wants the European Union to act against what she described as the horrors she watches on televised news on a daily basis.
“How is it possible that we are witnessing a genocide happening live after what we (as Europe) experienced in the 1940s?” Parra said. “Now nobody can say they didn't know what was happening.”
The protests in Rome, Madrid and Lisbon are to follow later on Saturday. There are also protests called across many other Spanish cities.
Israel's military offensive in Gaza has so far killed over 67,000 people and wounded nearly 1,70,000 others, according to Gaza's Health Ministry.
UN agencies and many independent experts view its figures as the most reliable estimate of wartime casualties.
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Parents fear uncertainty after Karnataka govt rules out age limit relaxation for Class 1 admission
Bengaluru: The Karnataka government has ruled out any relaxation of the minimum age limit for admission to Class 1 beginning with the academic year 2026-27. Following the refusal, a group of parents continues to press for leniency.
Parents of children who fall under the age of six by a small margin on the cut-off date have met Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar and senior officials from the Department of School Education and Literacy to request an exemption. School Education and Literacy Minister Madhu Bangarappa said that the government will not change its decision, as reported by Deccan Herald.
According to the minister, children must be six years old by June 1 to be eligible for admission to Class 1. beginning with the 2026-27 academic year. He noted that the previous relaxation was a one-time measure that was clearly confined to the 2025-26 academic year.
“If such requests are entertained every year, it will never end. While granting relaxation last year, it was explicitly stated that it applied only to one academic year. From 2026-27 onwards, the rule will be strictly implemented,” Bangarappa was quoted by DH.
Parents argue that the rigid cut-off is affecting children who are short by a few days. One parent was quoted by DH as saying that his daughter would be 12 days short of completing six years on June 1. Such parents would be forced to repeat a year despite being academically ready. Others pointed out that children promoted from LKG to UKG during the 2025-26 academic year are now facing uncertainty over their transition to Class 1.
Few parents also recalled that earlier, admissions were allowed for children aged between five years and 10 months and six years. Parents saw it as a more practical approach, with children born in November and December being disproportionately affected.
The issue of age criterion goes back to a government order issued in July 2022. The order mandated six years as the minimum age for Class 1 admission. Parents of children already enrolled in pre-primary classes, protested against the order and the state deferred implementation, announcing that the rule would come into force from the 2025-26 academic year.
After renewed pressure, the government granted a one-year relaxation for 2025-26, citing the large number of students affected and in consultation with the State Education Policy Commission. While announcing the exemption, the minister had stated that no further concessions would be allowed.
