Pro-Palestinian protests gather 1 million in Rome and denounce Israel's genocide in Gaza.
A historic event in the Italian capital brought together up to 1 million people in solidarity with the Palestinian people and in protest against war crimes.
247 - More than a million people took to the streets of Rome this Saturday (4) in one of the largest pro-Palestinian demonstrations in recent European history. It was the fourth consecutive day of demonstrations across Italy since Israel intercepted an international flotilla attempting to deliver humanitarian aid to Gaza. According to Reuters, which covered the protest, organizers estimated more than 1 million participants, while police estimated 250.
The event, marked by shouts of “Free Palestine” The march (“Free Palestine”) marched through the center of the Italian capital, passing by the Colosseum, and included entire families—children, students, and the elderly. Roman musician Francesco Galtieri, 65, expressed the sentiment uniting the demonstrators: “I’m here with many friends because I think it’s important that we all mobilize individually. If we don’t mobilize, nothing will change,” he told Reuters.
The march proceeded peacefully for most of the day, but ended in clashes near the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore. According to police, about 200 protesters broke away from the main group and confronted officers in riot gear, who responded with tear gas and water cannons. Two cars and several trash cans were set on fire, and twelve people were arrested.
International outcry against the Gaza massacre.
The protests in Italy express the growing global outrage at the systematic massacre of the Palestinian people. Since the Hamas attack on October 7, 2023, Israel has launched a devastating offensive against Gaza that, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health, has already killed more than 67 civilians, mostly women and children. Images of destruction and widespread famine have led jurists, humanitarian organizations, and heads of state to denounce what has become a veritable ongoing genocide.
Israel justifies its offensive as a response to the Hamas attack, which left 1.200 dead and 251 hostage, but its reaction went beyond any parameter of legitimate self-defense. Indiscriminate bombings, attacks on hospitals, schools and refugee camps, and the total blockade of food, water and medicine constitute war crimes under international law.
In Gaza, entire neighborhoods have been wiped off the map, and more than 2 million people live under siege and forced starvation, a strategy that UN experts classify as collective punishment.
The solidarity of the Italian people
Demonstrations in Italy have been taking place daily since the interception of the humanitarian flotilla. On Friday (3), trade unions called for a general strike in solidarity with Gaza, which mobilized more than 2 million people, according to the organizers — a number that the government reduced to 400.
In Rome, Milan, Naples, and other cities, the population demanded an immediate end to the Israeli bombing and blockade, as well as the trial of its leaders for crimes against humanity. Posters and banners denounced the complicity of Western governments and called for international sanctions against Israel.
Meloni's government attempts to criminalize the movement.
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, from the far right and an ally of the Israeli government, attempted to delegitimize the protests by blaming demonstrators for graffiti on a statue of Pope John Paul II in Rome. "They say they are taking to the streets for peace, but they insult the memory of a man who was a true defender and builder of peace. A shameful act committed by people blinded by ideology," Meloni said in an official statement.
The statements were harshly criticized by progressive sectors in Italy, who accuse the government of trying to silence solidarity with the Palestinian people and of aligning itself with a genocidal policy that shocks the world's conscience.
A global outcry for justice
The protests in Rome are part of a wave of global demonstrations demanding an immediate end to the war and recognition of Palestine as a sovereign state. Across Europe, support is growing for boycotts and sanctions against Israel, in the face of the inaction of Western powers and US President Donald Trump, who continues to provide military and political backing to the Israeli offensive.
What we saw in Rome this Saturday was a demonstration of humanity and resistance in the face of one of the greatest crimes of our time. Italy, like much of the world, seems to have made it clear: the genocide in Gaza will not be forgotten or forgiven.
