ROME: Tens of thousands of people mobilised across Italy on Thursday in solidarity with the Gaza aid flotilla and against the government’s support of Israel, as Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni repeated her criticism of the activists’ attempt to reach Gaza.
In Rome, police estimated around 10,000 demonstrators marched from the Colosseum through the capital, while thousands more rallied in Milan, Torino, Florence and Bologna. Protesters in Milan blocked traffic during rush hour, shouting “We are ready to block everything. The genocide machine must stop now.” Train services were also suspended in Florence and Bologna after demonstrators occupied the lines, according to TreniItalia.
The marches came ahead of a nationwide strike called by Italian trade unions for Friday, with the USB union declaring it was “time to block everything.”
“Instead of defending the victims, the government defends the aggressors, and this is absolutely intolerable,” said 76-year-old protester Gianfranco Pagliarulo. Rome city council member Lorenzo Giardinetti said the flotilla had “reawakened consciences” after years of silence.
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Earlier Thursday, Italy confirmed that Israel had detained 40 Italians from the flotilla, including two Italian MPs and two members of the European Parliament. Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani told parliament that all detained flotilla members would likely be transferred to Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion airport by early next week, from where two charter flights would take them to European capitals.
Meloni, speaking at a European Union meeting in Denmark, said Italy would ensure the safe return of its citizens but insisted the flotilla “brings no benefit to the Palestinian people.” She had earlier described the effort as “dangerous, irresponsible,” even as Italy dispatched a navy frigate to assist.
Flotilla organisers, meanwhile, denounced the Israeli navy’s interception of their vessels as “illegal,” noting they were in international waters when stopped.
With a general strike looming, protesters vowed to intensify pressure. “Today it is the Colosseum, tomorrow it is the general strike… It’s a matter of putting our bodies on the line, as the flotilla activists did,” said Giardinetti.