BERLIN (AP) — Bayern Munich won without playing on Saturday as Bundesliga rivals Bayer Leverkusen and Borussia Dortmund dropped points to modest opponents.
Dortmund slumped at Union Berlin to a 2-1 defeat without injured forward Karim Adeyemi, who starred in the team’s 7-1 rout of Celtic in the Champions League on Tuesday.
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BERLIN (AP) — Bayern Munich won without playing on Saturday as Bundesliga rivals Bayer Leverkusen and Borussia Dortmund dropped points to modest opponents.
Dortmund's Sebastien Haller talks to a referee during the Bundesliga soccer match between Union Berlin and Borussia Dortmund in Berlin, Germany, on Saturday, Oct. 5, 2024.(AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi)
Dortmund's Waldemar Anton, left, and Union's Benedict Hollerbach fight for the ball during the Bundesliga soccer match between Union Berlin and Borussia Dortmund in Berlin, Germany, on Saturday, Oct. 5, 2024.(AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi)
Union's Benedict Hollerbach, left, and Dortmund's Pascal Gross jump for the ball during the Bundesliga soccer match between Union Berlin and Borussia Dortmund in Berlin, Germany, on Saturday, Oct. 5, 2024.(AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi)
Berlin players celebrate after a goal during the Bundesliga soccer match between Union Berlin and Borussia Dortmund in Berlin, Germany, on Saturday, Oct. 5, 2024.(AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi)
Union's Kevin Vogt stops the ball in front of Dortmund's Julien Duranville during the Bundesliga soccer match between Union Berlin and Borussia Dortmund in Berlin, Germany, on Saturday, Oct. 5, 2024.(AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi)
Dortmund's Sebastien Haller, left, and Union's Christopher Trimmel jump for the ball during the Bundesliga soccer match between Union Berlin and Borussia Dortmund in Berlin, Germany, on Saturday, Oct. 5, 2024. (AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi)
Dortmund's Maximilian Beier outruns Union's Diogo Leite during the Bundesliga soccer match between Union Berlin and Borussia Dortmund in Berlin, Germany, on Saturday, Oct. 5, 2024.(AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi)
Defending champion Leverkusen squandered an early two-goal lead over promoted Holstein Kiel and drew 2-2. It was only Kiel’s second point in its debut top-flight season.
Leverkusen played in a special black jersey with red trim to commemorate the club’s 120th anniversary, and for Xabi Alonso it was also a special occasion – the Spanish coach took over exactly two years before.
Leverkusen fans didn’t have to wait long to celebrate after Victor Boniface opened the scoring in the fourth minute and Jonas Hofmann made it 2-0 four minutes after that. Leverkusen looked set for a rout.
But the home team failed to make more of its dominance — Boniface had another goal ruled out for offside — and Kiel secured a lifeline before the break when Max Geschwil scored after a corner. Fiete Arp scored an unlikely equalizer from the penalty spot in the 69th.
“I wouldn't say arrogance, but I'd say there's a bit a complacency. We need to stay concentrated, because we want to be a better team,” Alonso said. “We could win a few games, and not win a few games, up and down, but that's not our goal. Today we didn't have the best competitive mindset.”
Union illustrated early on against Dortmund why it’s the club with one of the most ineffective forward lines in the league. The Köpenick-based team had only four goals from its opening five games.
Former Union player Nico Schlotterbeck offered assistance by conceding a penalty with a foul on the lively Benedict Hollerbach, and Kevin Vogt duly scored the opener from the spot in the 25th.
The home team kept pushing and got its due reward before the break when Yorbe Vertessen let fly through a host of players for 2-0.
Early in the second half, masked Union ultras displayed an array of Dortmund scarves and banners presumably confiscated from their rivals before the game. They hung the tattered flags on the railings behind one of the goals and raised their fists, goading the Dortmund fans far away on the other side.
Former Union player Julien Ryerson responded on the field in the 62nd by firing inside the far post for 2-1, set up by Julian Brandt after a period of pressure from the visitors – but it wasn’t enough.
Also, Freiburg won at Werder Bremen 1-0, and Wolfsburg enjoyed a 3-1 win in Wolfsburg.
St. Pauli was playing Mainz later.
League leader Bayern visits second-placed Eintracht Frankfurt on Sunday.
Leverkusen's head coach Xabi Alonso reacts during the German Bundesliga soccer match between Bayer Leverkusen and Holstein Kiel at the BayArena in Leverkusen, Germany, Saturday, Oct. 5, 2024. (AP Photo/Martin Meissner)
Dortmund's Sebastien Haller talks to a referee during the Bundesliga soccer match between Union Berlin and Borussia Dortmund in Berlin, Germany, on Saturday, Oct. 5, 2024.(AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi)
Dortmund's Waldemar Anton, left, and Union's Benedict Hollerbach fight for the ball during the Bundesliga soccer match between Union Berlin and Borussia Dortmund in Berlin, Germany, on Saturday, Oct. 5, 2024.(AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi)
Union's Benedict Hollerbach, left, and Dortmund's Pascal Gross jump for the ball during the Bundesliga soccer match between Union Berlin and Borussia Dortmund in Berlin, Germany, on Saturday, Oct. 5, 2024.(AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi)
Berlin players celebrate after a goal during the Bundesliga soccer match between Union Berlin and Borussia Dortmund in Berlin, Germany, on Saturday, Oct. 5, 2024.(AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi)
Union's Kevin Vogt stops the ball in front of Dortmund's Julien Duranville during the Bundesliga soccer match between Union Berlin and Borussia Dortmund in Berlin, Germany, on Saturday, Oct. 5, 2024.(AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi)
Dortmund's Sebastien Haller, left, and Union's Christopher Trimmel jump for the ball during the Bundesliga soccer match between Union Berlin and Borussia Dortmund in Berlin, Germany, on Saturday, Oct. 5, 2024. (AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi)
Dortmund's Maximilian Beier outruns Union's Diogo Leite during the Bundesliga soccer match between Union Berlin and Borussia Dortmund in Berlin, Germany, on Saturday, Oct. 5, 2024.(AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi)
ROME (AP) — Police used tear gas and water cannons to disperse violent demonstrators in Rome as tens of thousands of pro-Palestinian protesters took to the streets in major European cities and around the globe Saturday to call for a cease-fire as the first anniversary of the Hamas attacks on Israel approached.
Massive rallies were planned in several European cities, with the largest gatherings expected from Saturday to Monday. Events will peak Monday, the date of the anniversary.
In Rome, several thousands demonstrated peacefully Saturday afternoon until a smaller group tried to push the rally toward the center of the city, in spite of a ban by local authorities who refused to authorize protests, citing security concerns.
Some protesters, dressed in black and with their faces covered, threw bottles and paper bombs at the police, who responded with tear gas and water cannons, eventually dispersing the crowd.
The rally in Rome had been calm earlier, with people chanting “Free Palestine, Free Lebanon,” waving Palestinian flags and holding banners calling for an immediate stop to the conflict.
In London, thousands gathered in Russell Square amid a significant police presence. Some of the march’s organizers had said they planned to target companies and institutions they claimed were “complicit in Israel’s crimes,” including Barclays Bank and the British Museum.
The atmosphere was tense as pro-Palestine protesters and counter-demonstrators, some holding Israeli flags, passed one another. Scuffles broke out as police officers pushed back activists trying to get past a cordon. Fifteen people were arrested on suspicion of public order offenses and assault, London's Metropolitan Police said.
In the northern German city of Hamburg, about 950 people staged a peaceful demonstration with many waving Palestinian and Lebanese flags or chanting “Stop the Genocide,” the DPA news agency reported, citing a count by police. Two smaller pro-Israeli counterdemonstrations took place without incident, it said.
Several thousands protesters gathered peacefully at Paris’ Republique Plaza in a show of solidarity with the Palestinian and Lebanese people. Many were waving Palestinian flags while holding posters reading ”stop the genocide,” “free Palestine,” and “hands off Lebanon.”
Pro-Palestinian demonstrators also planned to join rallies in Washington, New York’s Times Square and several other cities in the United States as well as in other parts of the world, including Denmark, Switzerland, South Africa and India. In the Philippines, dozens of left-wing activists protested near the U.S. Embassy in Manila, where police prevented them from getting closer to the seaside compound.
Pro-Israeli demonstrations are expected to be held Sunday because Jews across the world are still observing Rosh Hashana, or the Jewish new year.
This year, the emotions will be extraordinarily powerful for many given that the midpoint of the 10 days spanning Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur is Oct. 7 — the one-year anniversary of the Hamas attack that killed 1,200 Israelis and triggered the ongoing war in Gaza.
Security forces in several countries warned of heightened levels of alert in major cities, amid concerns that the escalating conflict in the Middle East could inspire new terror attacks in Europe or that the protests could turn violent.
Pro-Palestinian protests calling for an immediate cease-fire have repeatedly taken place across Europe and around the globe in the past year and have often turned violent, with confrontations between demonstrators and law enforcement officers.
Italian authorities believed that the timing of Saturday's rally in Rome risked the Oct. 7 attack being “glorified,” local media reported.
Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi also stressed that, ahead of the key anniversary, Europe is on high alert for potential terror attacks.
“This is not a normal situation. … We are already in a condition of maximum prevention,” he said.
Ben Jamal, director of the Palestine Solidarity Campaign in Britain, said he and others will keep organizing marches until action against Israel is taken.
“We need to be out on the streets in even bigger numbers to stop this carnage and stop Britain being drawn into it,” Jamal said.
In Berlin, a march is scheduled from the Brandenburg Gate to Bebelplatz on Sunday. Local media reported that security forces have warned of potential overload because of the scale of protests. German authorities pointed to increasing antisemitic and violent incidents in recent days.
Earlier this week in France, Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau warned the country’s regional prefects, expressing concern about possible tensions and saying that the terrorist threat was high.
On Oct. 7 last year, Hamas launched a surprise attack into Israel, killing 1,200 Israelis, taking 250 people hostage and setting off a war with Israel that has shattered much of the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip.
More than 41,000 Palestinians have been killed since then in Gaza, according to the Gaza Health Ministry, which does not differentiate between fighters and civilians.
Nearly 100 Israeli hostages remain in Gaza, with fewer than 70 believed to be alive. Israelis have experienced attacks — missiles from Iran and Hezbollah, explosive drones from Yemen, fatal shootings and stabbings — as the region braces for further escalation.
In late September, Israel shifted some of its focus to Hezbollah, which holds much of the power in parts of southern Lebanon.
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Hui reported from London. AP writers Sylvie Corbet in Paris and Jamey Keaten in Geneva contributed to this story.
Protesters hold placards and Palestinian flags during a rally in support of the Palestinian people, in Basel, Switzerland, Saturday Oct. 5, 2024. (Ennio Leanza/Keystone via AP)
People demonstrate in support of Palestinians in Copenhagen, Denmark, Saturday Oct. 5, 2024. (Thomas Traasdahl/Ritzau Scanpix via AP)
People demonstrate in support of Palestinians in Copenhagen, Denmark, Saturday Oct. 5, 2024. (Thomas Traasdahl/Ritzau Scanpix via AP)
Demonstrators participate in a pro-Palistinian protest in Bengaluru, India, Saturday, Oct. 5, 2024. (AP Photo/Aijaz Rahi)
People demonstrate in support of Palestinians in Hamburg, Germany, Saturday, Oct. 5, 2024. (Georg Wendt/dpa via AP)
People attend at a protest in Rome, Saturday, Oct. 5, 2024. Pro-palestinians people take to the street in an unauthorised march in the centre of Rome two days ahead of the first anniversary of the Oct. 7. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)
People attend at a protest in Rome, Saturday, Oct. 5, 2024. Pro-palestinians people take to the street in an unauthorised march in the centre of Rome two days ahead of the first anniversary of the Oct. 7. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)
Women attend at a protest in Rome, Saturday, Oct. 5, 2024. Pro-palestinians people take to the street in an unauthorised march in the centre of Rome two days ahead of the first anniversary of the Oct. 7. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)
Palestinian flag is seen during a protest in Rome, Saturday, Oct. 5, 2024. Pro-palestinians people take to the street in an unauthorised march in the centre of Rome two days ahead of the first anniversary of the Oct. 7. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)
People attend at a protest in Rome, Saturday, Oct. 5, 2024. Pro-palestinians people take to the street in an unauthorised march in the centre of Rome two days ahead of the first anniversary of the Oct. 7. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)
Women attend at a protest in Rome, Saturday, Oct. 5, 2024. Pro-palestinians people take to the street in an unauthorised march in the centre of Rome two days ahead of the first anniversary of the Oct. 7. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)
Activists tear a U.S. flag during a rally near the U.S. Embassy in Manila Saturday, Oct. 5, 2024, as they hold a protest to observe the first-year anniversary of the war in Gaza.(AP Photo/Gerard V. Carreon)
An activist raises a placard as police personnel block activists from marching near the U.S. Embassy in Manila on Saturday, Oct.5, 2024, as they hold a protest to observe the first-year anniversary of the war in Gaza.(AP Photo/Gerard V. Carreon)
People stand during a protest in Rome, Saturday, Oct. 5, 2024. Pro-palestinians people take to the street in an unauthorised march in the centre of Rome two days ahead of the first anniversary of the Oct. 7. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)
People stand during a protest in Rome, Saturday, Oct. 5, 2024. Pro-palestinians people take to the street in an unauthorised march in the centre of Rome two days ahead of the first anniversary of the Oct. 7. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)
People stand during a protest in Rome, Saturday, Oct. 5, 2024. Pro-palestinians people take to the street in an unauthorised march in the centre of Rome two days ahead of the first anniversary of the Oct. 7. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)
Italian Police officers patrol during a protest in Rome, Saturday, Oct. 5, 2024. Pro-palestinians people take to the street in an unauthorised march in the centre of Rome two days ahead of the first anniversary of the Oct. 7. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)
Police personnel block activists from marching near the U.S. Embassy in Manila Saturday, Oct. 5, 2024, as they hold a protest to observe the first-year anniversary of the war in Gaza. (AP Photo/Gerard V. Carreon)
