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Protesters denounce Israel at embassy in Cyprus
Riot police prevent demonstrators from reaching the entrance of building in Nicosia; event passes peacefully
Protesters hold placards painted with letters forming the word 'Palestine' during a demonstration near the Israeli Embassy in the Cypriot capital, Nicosia, against Israel's military offensive on the Gaza Strip, on July 21, 2014. (photo credit: AFP/Yiannis Kourtoglou)
NICOSIA, Cyprus — Several hundred pro-Palestinian protesters demanded a halt to military action in Gaza during a peaceful protest near the Israeli embassy in the Cypriot capital.
Monday’s protest was organized by left-wing trade unions and peace groups and included Turkish Cypriot activists from the ethnically divided island’s breakaway north.
Riot police standing behind a cordon of barbed wire-topped fences prevented marching protesters from approaching the embassy’s entrance.
Some protesters burned a hand-painted Israeli flag.
Organizers condemned the bloodshed in Gaza and urged the international community to put pressure on Israel to stop the fighting.
Copyright 2014 The Associated Press.
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