At least 75 pro-Palestinian protests planned worldwide on Oct. 7 anniversary, many deemed high risk

OCTOBER 5, 2026 18:02At least 75 pro-Palestinian demonstrations and anti-Israel events across the world are set to take place on Wednesday, October 7, the day that marks three years since the Hamas attack on Israel in 2023.The figures were released by the Ministry for Diaspora Affairs and Combating Antisemitism ahead of the third anniversary of October 7.A large proportion - 29% of all events - are to take place on October 7 itself. The rest are spread out between October 1 and October 14, with most events expected over the weekend following October 7, 2026.The Ministry identified 262 events in 37 countries worldwide. Of these, approximately one-third of all identified events have been classified as posing a medium or high level of risk.The countries with the highest number of events are the United States (45), Spain (40), Australia (21), the United Kingdom (19), and Italy (16). Germany and Canada each have 14 events, France has 10, and the Netherlands has eight.Pro-Palestinian demonstrators protest outside the Consulate General of Israel to condemn Israel’s interception of the Global Sumud Flotilla, in Los Angeles, California, US, October 2, 2025. (credit: REUTERS/Daniel Cole)As mentioned, 87 events have been classified as posing a medium or high level of risk. The “high-risk” hotspots span numerous countries: Canada stands out with four events classified as high risk. Two high-risk events were identified in Greece, Italy, the United States, and Australia. Additional hotspots were identified, among other locations, in Barcelona, Bogotá, Paris, Istanbul, Bangkok, Santiago, London, Berlin and Amsterdam.The Ministry's report also finds that 45 events are expected to take place in proximity to an Israeli embassy, consulate or another property associated with the State of Israel. Of these events, 30 are located within 2.5 kilometers of an Israeli property.Among the notable locations identified are a planned demonstration in Dam Square in Amsterdam, an event in Helsinki approximately 300 meters from the Israeli Embassy, a high-risk event on Parliament Hill in Ottawa, approximately 350 meters from the Israeli Embassy, and an event in Frankfurt approximately 370 meters from a hotel used by Israeli visitors.PFLP-linked organizing groups, grassroots spreadThe Jerusalem Post went a bit deeper than the Ministry's analysis.The ministry identifies 262 events in 37 countries, but the distribution is actually extremely uneven. As noted, the US accounts for 45, Spain 40, Australia 21, UK 19, and Italy 16. Those five countries alone account for about 54% of the entire database.This makes an interesting geographical distinction. Spain's events appear to take the form of a mass grassroots/BDS network, with dozens of small local events across cities and towns.In North America, the events are much more networked around student, Palestinian youth, and activist organizations such as Palestinian Youth Movement (PYM), Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP), and American Muslims for Palestine.Australia has a strong concentration of organized Palestine networks, including Palestine Action Group Sydney and Canberra, Free Palestine Melbourne, and Students for Palestine.The UK has fewer events in terms of numbers but some of the largest established national organizations, particularly Palestine Solidarity Campaign and Friends of Al-Aqsa.The actual spread differs per country, and is therefore a mixture of large established national organizations, transnational networks and local grassroots groups.Furthermore, the Post delved deeper into the high-risk geography.Canada has 4 high-risk events, and Greece, Italy, the US, and Australia have 2 each.Canada therefore stands out; it has only 14 events overall, but four are classified as high risk.Then there is the risk level associated with proximity to Israeli embassies or important assets.Although only 11% of events are within 2.5 km of an Israeli asset, nearly half of those nearby events are classified as medium or high risk.This suggests that higher-risk events are disproportionately likely to occur where there is a symbolic Israeli target nearby.The 'Post' explores terror ties of anti-Israel demonstrationsFinally, the Post explored organizing groups, and whether any have ties to terror groups. While the ministry report does not itself identify Hamas, PFLP, PLO or Samidoun as organizers of any of the 262 events, the table does contain a number of organizations that have documented links, joint activity or ideological overlap with those networks.This is particularly the case with PYM, which is behind planned events in Los Angeles, New York, Montreal, Ottawa and Toronto - all five of which are categorized as high risk. PYM is also associated with 8 other events.As such, PYM appears to be functioning as one of the major transnational organizational hubs connecting North American demonstrations.This is relevant, given Israeli research has documented PYM's connection to the PFLP: the group has previously appeared alongside PFLP-affiliated figures and Samidoun at pro-Palestinian events.Similar concerns have been raised by Palestine Solidarity Campaign in the UK, which is behind several of the UK protests including the high-risk October 10 event at Victoria Embankment Gardens.The UK government's review of political violence and disruption says PSC has a history of alleged support for Hamas, notes that two former leaders met Ismail Haniyeh in 2012, and says PSC has advocated Palestinians' right to armed resistance. The report also notes that PSC opposed the UK's decision to proscribe Hamas in its entirety.Follow us on Google