Gaza protests extend from Mideast to Europe

Registering volunteers to fight Israel
The largest protest, a crowd of up to 3,000 people outside the Journalists' Union, was organized by the opposition Muslim Brotherhood, and in an unusual move, the Islamist organization's Supreme Guide Mohammed Mahdi Akef took part, urging the crowd to make "their declaration of anger through peaceful means."

In Hamas-ally Iran, a prominent conservative political party announced it is registering volunteers to fight against Israel in response to the attacks on Gaza. The party, the Combatant Clergy Society, has provided three options for the volunteers on its Web site to fight Israel, including in the military, financial and propaganda fields — most signing up opted for the military option.

The group said Monday it decided to sign up volunteers after Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, issued a religious decree to world Muslims Sunday, saying anybody getting killed while defending Palestinians in Gaza would be considered a martyr.

In the Sudanese capital, Khartoum, thousands rallied for a second day over the Gaza attack. The protesters marched to the Egyptian embassy calling for an opening of the Egyptian-Gaza border for supplies and aid to the Palestinians. They also marched to the U.N. headquarters where they handed over a protest note.

Israeli and American flags burned
In Iraq, about 1,000 backers of anti-American Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr staged a protest in eastern Baghdad. "No, no to Israel," they shouted as they burned Israeli and American flags.

Separately, the political party of Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki issued a statement condemning the attacks and calling on Islamic countries to cut relations with Israel and end all "secret and public talks" with it.

Jordan's King Abdullah II donated blood to Gaza victims, telling reporters he was "upset" by the scale of the Israeli offensive in the coastal strip.

There were also protests in Europe Monday.

Protests in Greece
In Athens, a mixed group of some 300 Arab and Greek protesters threw rocks at the Israeli embassy and scuffled with riot police, in a demonstration organized by the Greek communist party. The Greek riot police fired stun grenades and volleys of tear gas to repel the protesters

Video   'All out war' Dec. 29: Israel continues its round-the-clock bombing in the Gaza Strip, as Hamas has fired more than 50 rockets into southern Israel today. NBC's Tom Aspell reports. MSNBC

Later, more than 3,000 demonstrators waving Palestinian flags and chanting anti-Israeli and anti-U.S. slogans converged on the Israeli Embassy north of the city center in separate demonstrations and rallies organized by Greek left-wing parties and Arab groups. In the northern Greek city of Thessaloniki, about 1,000 demonstrators protested outside the U.S. Consulate, where they burned an Israeli flag.

In Berlin, about 2,000 marched through a central shopping district carrying Palestinian flags and banners saying Israel must end the Gaza blockade, and in London, around 600 protested outside the Israeli embassy, where police said they arrested 7 protesters.

London's Metropolitan Police said some of the demonstrators threw sticks at the police.

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