Tens of thousands of Italians took to the streets across the country on Friday, as part of a day-long general strike called by unions in support of an aid flotilla carrying food to Gaza that was intercepted by Israel this week.
"After what I saw with the flotilla, I thought I couldn't just stand by and do nothing. It's the first time I go to these kind of demonstrations," Mario Mascetti, a protester in Rome, told Reuters.
The CGIL trade union planned demonstrations in more than a 100 cities. In the capital, crowds marched from the central Piazza Vittorio towards the main train station, holding union and Palestinian flags, as well as banners.
The strike caused delays and cancellations across Italy's rail network, with more limited disruptions at airports.
Metro lines continued operating in both Rome and Milan.
"This is not just any strike. We're here today to defend brotherhood among individuals, among peoples, to put humanity back at the centre, to say no to genocide, to a policy of rearmament," CGIL leader Maurizio Landini said.
Israel has called the aid flotilla a stunt and offered to take aid on the boats into Gaza. It has consistently denied allegations of genocide.
Italy's right-wing government has criticised the strike, with Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni suggesting that people skipping work for Gaza was just an excuse to have a longer weekend break.
Protests in solidarity with the humanitarian convoy that was trying to break Israel's naval blockade have sprung up all over Europe and other parts of the world, but have been particularly widespread in Italy.
Mattia Diletti, a sociologist at Rome's Sapienza University, said the Palestinian cause had resonated strongly, both amongst its majority-Catholic population and the left.
"Italy has always been a very political country, characterised by this element," he said.
The national strike watchdog said on Thursday unions had broken rules by not giving enough advance notice for the strike.
Pro-Palestinian protests were due to continue on Saturday, with a mass rally in Rome, capping off several days of demonstrations that have sometimes turned violent, with confrontations with police.
On Thursday night, tens of thousands of people marched peacefully from Rome's Colosseum, while in Turin a conference centre was vandalised and in Milan a statue outside the Duomo cathedral was daubed with red paint and graffiti.
Kremenchuk, an industrial centre on the Dnipro River, was struck again as Russian forces targeted facilities across the city during the night....
More than 60 Indigenous artifacts held in the Vatican for 100 years, including a rare Inuit kayak, arrived in Montreal, where First Nation, Métis and...
U.S. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth defends follow-up strike on suspected drug boat in the Caribbean, denies authorizing the killing of all onboard, an...
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban said on Saturday that preparations are under way for a substantial business mission to Moscow, describing the vi...
Eighteen migrants drowned when their boat overturned 26 miles (40 km) south of the Greek island of Chrysi, after a Turkish cargo ship spotted the vess...
U.S. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth defends follow-up strike on suspected drug boat in the Caribbean, denies authorizing the killing of all onboard, and comments on protocols for military operations.
FIFA releases the 2026 World Cup schedule with match dates, venues, and key fixtures. See when host nations USA, Mexico, and Canada play and get an overview of group stage and knockout rounds.
‘We will continue to do everything we can to ensure that the peace plan for Gaza is put into action as soon as possible and that this humanitarian tragedy comes to an end,’ Turkish top diplomat Fidan tells Anadolu
A giant Christmas tree adorned with red and gold baubles stands in the West Bank city of Bethlehem for the first time since 2022.
The 2026 FIFA World Cup draw at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., has finalized the group stage for the tournament co-hosted by the U.S., Canada, and Mexico, setting the schedule and matchups for next summer’s expanded 48-team event.
FIFA releases the 2026 World Cup schedule with match dates, venues, and key fixtures. See when host nations USA, Mexico, and Canada play and get an overview of group stage and knockout rounds.
Pakistan and Afghanistan exchanged heavy fire along their shared border late on Friday, a reminder of how sensitive the frontier remains despite ongoing diplomatic efforts.
Iran’s Foreign Ministry has strongly condemned the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) for its support of the claims by United Arab Emirates on three Iranian islands.
Chinese leader Xi Jinping accompanied French President Emmanuel Macron to Chengdu on Friday, a rare gesture seemingly reserved for the head of Europe's second-largest economy that highlights Beijing's focus on Paris in its ties with the European Union.
More than 60 Indigenous artifacts held in the Vatican for 100 years, including a rare Inuit kayak, arrived in Montreal, where First Nation, Métis and Inuvialuit leaders welcomed them home with ceremony, song and emotion.
U.S. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth defends follow-up strike on suspected drug boat in the Caribbean, denies authorizing the killing of all onboard, and comments on protocols for military operations.
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban said on Saturday that preparations are under way for a substantial business mission to Moscow, describing the visit as an exclusively economic engagement.
Eighteen migrants drowned when their boat overturned 26 miles (40 km) south of the Greek island of Chrysi, after a Turkish cargo ship spotted the vessel and alerted Greek authorities.
FIFA releases the 2026 World Cup schedule with match dates, venues, and key fixtures. See when host nations USA, Mexico, and Canada play and get an overview of group stage and knockout rounds.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment