LONDON: Israel stood isolated today in Europe as a number of cities yesterday witnessed demonstrations in support of Palestinians. Tens of thousands of people came out on the streets to denounce Israel’s bombardment of Gaza which has killed more than 400 people and left 800 injured.

In London, at least 10,000 people, many carrying Palestinian flags, marched past Prime Minister Gordon Brown’s Downing Street residence to a rally in Trafalgar Square. Outside Downing Street, hundreds of protesters stopped and threw shoes at the gates that block entry to the narrow road.

Police estimated the crowd in London at 10,000 to 12,000, but organizers said the number was much higher, may be up to 40,000. The crowd at London’s Trafalgar Square was the biggest show of public protest in Britain since the Stop the War marches protested against the invasion of Iraq six years ago.

A larger number of children also took part in the London rally. The marchers included activist Bianca Jagger, ex-Eurythmics singer Annie Lennox and comedian Alexei Sayle. “As a Jew, it’s very moving to see so many people who are so outraged at Israel’s actions,” Sayle said. “Israel is a democratic country that is behaving like a terrorist organization.”

After the rally, a smaller group of about 2,000 protesters marched on the Israeli Embassy in west London, and some youths scuffled with police and hurled objects at officers in riot gear. Several demonstrators were led away by police after leaping over metal barriers holding them back from the embassy.

“I was there with my child since the beginning of this protest, and I’ll always be there just to show we are here for all the Muslims and we are not happy,” said an Iraqi mother in her mid-fifties as she waved a Palestinian flag.

Heba Massri, 25, a Saudi student who came from Brighton with her Greek friends said it was her first time. When asked why now, she said, “enough is enough and it is the least we could do in addition to donations and prayers. It is about time we all unite to help each other, and because what is happening to the people in Gaza is not acceptable at all.”

Ahmad Al-Sultan, 21, another Saudi student came from Portsmouth.

“I never had the chance to participate in such an event. When this came up, I knew I just had to be there. What is happening in Gaza is affecting us all and not only the people there. We are all simply Gaza,” he said.

Rallies also were held in other British cities — including Manchester, Liverpool and Glasgow — and across Europe.

Protests in Paris, Amsterdam, Rome and Berlin all drew thousands of people.

In Paris, police said 21,000 marched through the streets, shouting “We are all Palestinians” and “Israel assassin.” Later, a small group of protesters burned Israeli flags, set fire to at least three cars and smashed shop and cafe windows in a central Paris area popular with shoppers. Riot police attempted to contain the violence.

Angry protests continued for a second day in Turkey, where about 5,000 demonstrators shouted “killer Israel” in downtown Ankara.

In The Netherlands, thousands of people marched through Amsterdam, criticizing both the Israeli attacks and the Dutch government’s failure to condemn them. One banner declared: “Anne Frank is turning in her grave. Oh Israel!” More than 4,000 people demonstrated in Duesseldorf, Germany, and some 5,000 in Frankfurt. One group in Duesseldorf held up a doll representing a bleeding baby with the placard “Made in Israel.” In Berlin, more than 7,000 people braved freezing temperatures for a march along the capital’s Unter den Linden boulevard.

Another 2,500 demonstrated in Salzburg, Austria, while scores protested peacefully in Madrid outside the Spanish Foreign Ministry.

Hundreds more marched in the Swedish cities of Malmo and Uppsala, while in Oslo, Norway demonstrators marched from the parliament to the Israeli Embassy, calling on Israel to “let Gaza live.” Most of the protests were peaceful, but in Athens, Greece — the scene of violent demonstrations by anarchist youths over the past month — a few of the 5,000 protesters threw stones and petrol bombs at police outside the Israeli Embassy. Riot police retaliated with tear gas and stun grenades.

In Cyprus, demonstrators pelted riot police with rocks, sticks, shoes and oranges near the Israeli Embassy in Nicosia. A peaceful protest by about 2,000 people turned violent when some protesters tried to break through a line of police blocking the road leading to the embassy. The demonstrators eventually dispersed.

— With input from agencies