Tens of thousands of people rallied in Paris and other cities across France on Saturday to protest the war in Gaza, just a week after 21,000 Palestinian supporters marched in the French capital for Gaza peace, French sources said.

A pro-Palestinian demonstrator lights a candle during a protest in Paris against Israel’s offensive on Gaza Jan. 10, 2009.

Police sources said that some 30,000 people took part in demonstrations across central Paris. The rally organizers, however, claimed that the number of participants reached 100,000.

In all, nearly 123,000 people attended demonstrations in 130 cities across France on Saturday, to denounce the Israeli offensive and support Palestinians in Gaza, said the French Interior Ministry. Besides Paris, large rallies were also held in Lyon, Marseille and Lille.

Clashes were reported in Paris and Nice, with seven policemen injured and eleven people arrested. News reaching here from other parts of Europe said that pro-Palestine demonstrations also took place in other big European cities on Saturday.

VietNamNet/Xinhuanet