Tens of thousands of people have taken to the streets in dozens of cities across Italy, shutting schools, disrupting trains, and blocking ports and roads in one of Europe’s largest nationwide protests against Israel’s offensive in Gaza. The demonstrations on Monday were called by grassroots unions as a 24-hour general strike in solidarity with the people of Gaza, citing the “inertia of the Italian and EU governments” to address the humanitarian crisis.
From Milan to Palermo, protests occurred in at least 75 municipalities. In Genoa and Livorno, dock workers blocked ports over concerns that Italy was being used as a staging post for the transfer of arms to Israel. In Rome, more than 20,000 people gathered outside Termini train station waving Palestinian flags and chanting “free Palestine”. Organisers said 50,000 turned out in Milan, while police in Bologna put the figure there at over 10,000.
Tensions escalated in Milan when dozens of protesters dressed in black and armed with batons tried to smash the main entrance of the city’s central train station. They threw smoke bombs, bottles and stones at police, who responded with pepper spray. Police in Bologna used water cannon to disperse a crowd blocking a main road. More than 10 people were arrested in Milan and about 60 police officers suffered injuries, according to Italy’s Ansa news agency.
Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni condemned the clashes, writing on social media: “Violence and destruction have nothing to do with solidarity and won’t change a thing in the lives of people in Gaza.” Meloni has previously distanced Italy from the coordinated move by several countries to recognise Palestinian statehood, saying it could be counterproductive. Transport Minister Matteo Salvini downplayed the protests, describing them as the “political mobilisation of far-left unionists”.
Protesters called on the government to suspend commercial and military cooperation with Israel and expressed support for the Global Sumud Flotilla, an initiative of more than 50 small boats seeking to break Israel’s naval blockade and deliver humanitarian aid to Gaza. The Israeli military has intensified its operation in Gaza, where it has killed more than 65,000 people over the last 23 months, according to reports.
