ROME — Tens of thousands of Italians took to the streets on Monday in a nationwide day of protest against Israel’s military campaign in Gaza, staging rallies, transport strikes, and port blockades across the country.
In the capital, some 200,000 demonstrators gathered outside Rome’s Termini train station, many of them students chanting “Free Palestine!” and waving Palestinian flags. Marchers carried banners reading “Against Genocide. Let’s block everything,” parading from the Colosseum through the city’s historic heart.
Seventeen-year-old Michelangelo told AFP he joined the rally to support “a population that is being exterminated,” while 18-year-old Francesca Tecchia said she was protesting “for the first time” because “what is happening in Gaza is too important.” Federica Casino, a 52-year-old worker, urged Italy to “come to a standstill today” for Gaza’s “dead children and destroyed hospitals.”
Protests were not confined to Rome. Milan drew some 50,000 demonstrators, who were seen burning a U.S. flag, while Bologna saw over 10,000 marchers. Demonstrations also took place in Turin, Florence, Naples, and Sicily. In Genoa and Livorno, dock workers blockaded port entrances, disrupting trade, while strikes crippled local buses, metro services, and national trains.
Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s hard-right government has condemned Israel’s assault but has stopped short of recognizing a Palestinian state or fully endorsing European Union trade sanctions. A recent survey published by La Stampa indicated that nearly 64 percent of Italians view Gaza’s humanitarian situation as “very serious,” and 41 percent support formal recognition of Palestine.
Monday’s mobilizations underscore the growing frustration among Italians over what they see as inaction, reflecting a surge of public sentiment for urgent international attention to the conflict in Gaza.
