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.
From the invasion of Ukraine to today’s border ceasefire in Southeast Asia, the global security architecture has undergone a period of unprecedented...
Japan's cabinet has approved a record-high $785 billion budget for the next fiscal year - including the largest allocation for defence spending ever....
Azerbaijan is strengthening its role in international energy projects through foreign investment, Azerbaijan’s Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov said...
At least eight people were killed and 18 others injured when an explosion struck a mosque during Friday prayers in the Syrian city of Homs, Syrian aut...
New York placed the state under emergency measures on Friday as a powerful winter storm brought the heaviest snowfall since 2022, disrupting travel ac...
From the invasion of Ukraine to today’s border ceasefire in Southeast Asia, the global security architecture has undergone a period of unprecedented strain.
The tectonic plates of global trade and geopolitics are shifting, demanding that regional cooperative structures evolve to match new strategic realities.
At least eight people were killed and 18 others injured when an explosion struck a mosque during Friday prayers in the Syrian city of Homs, Syrian authorities said.
Russia plans to modernise its nuclear triad, strengthen ground forces, and develop a universal air defence system as part of its new State Armament Programme for 2027–2036, the Kremlin announced on Friday.
New York placed the state under emergency measures on Friday as a powerful winter storm brought the heaviest snowfall since 2022, disrupting travel across the north-east of the United States.
Polish fighter jets on Thursday intercepted a Russian reconnaissance aircraft flying near Poland’s airspace over the Baltic Sea and escorted it away from their area of responsibility.
Russia launched missiles and drones at Kyiv and other parts of Ukraine overnight on Saturday, Ukrainian officials said, ahead of talks on Sunday between President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and U.S. President Donald Trump aimed at ending nearly four years of war.
The United States carried out a strike against Islamic State militants in northwest Nigeria at the request of Nigeria's government, President Donald Trump and the U.S. military said on Thursday.
Israel became the first country to formally recognise Somaliland as an independent state on Friday, drawing strong condemnation from Somalia and regional and international organisations.
Canada will provide an additional $2.5 billion in economic aid to Ukraine, Prime Minister Mark Carney said on Saturday, as he met Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy during a stopover in Halifax ahead of Zelenskyy’s visit to the United States.
New York placed the state under emergency measures on Friday as a powerful winter storm brought the heaviest snowfall since 2022, disrupting travel across the north-east of the United States.
Start your day informed with AnewZ Morning Brief: here are the top news stories for the 27th of December, covering the latest developments you need to know.
Thailand and Cambodia agreed to halt weeks of fierce border clashes, the worst fighting in years between the Southeast Asian neighbours, which has included fighter jet sorties, rocket fire and artillery barrages, on Saturday.
Russia plans to modernise its nuclear triad, strengthen ground forces, and develop a universal air defence system as part of its new State Armament Programme for 2027–2036, the Kremlin announced on Friday.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment