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Italian unions proclaimed the strike after the Global Sumud
Flotilla that was trying to break Israel’s naval blockade to
deliver aid to Gaza was intercepted by Israeli naval forces
Wednesday night. Protests and demonstrations have sprung up all
over Europe and globally since then, but they have been
particularly strong in Italy.
Italy’s conservative Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni had sharply
criticized the strike. She anticipated it would cause widespread
disruption across the country and said it was politically
motivated and targeted her right-wing government.
According to the CGIL union, 300,000 people marched through the
streets of Rome alone, while the national average participation
in the general strike stood at around 60%, halting all the main
services in key sectors including transportation and schools.
In Florence, protesters approached the gates of the Italian
national soccer team’s training center to demand its upcoming
World Cup qualifier against Israel not be played because of the
war in Gaza.
Italy is scheduled to host Israel in Udine on Oct. 14. But UEFA
is considering suspending Israel over the war. The players were
not at the Coverciano training center in Florence, but the squad
will convene there on Monday.
Protesters appeared to behave peacefully on the opposite side of
the street from the soccer complex, holding aloft a banner that
read in Italian, “Let’s stop Zionism with the resistance.”
On Friday morning, around 100,000 people participated in a rally
in the northern city of Milan. Clashes there briefly erupted
after a group of protesters blocking the city’s highway started
throwing bottles at police, who responded with smoke bombs.
Isolated scuffles also happened in Turin, Bologna and Naples but
the majority of the protests were peaceful.
“I still believe that all this brings no benefit to the
Palestinian people. On the other hand, I understand that it will
cause a lot of problems for the Italian people," Meloni told
reporters Thursday, condemning the strike. “Revolutions and long
weekends don’t go well together.”
The Italian leader has been facing mounting pressure to change
Italy’s stance as a longtime supporter of Israel in the Gaza
conflict, as growing calls have emerged to stop the massive
humanitarian crisis unfolding in Gaza.
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Associated Press journalists Paolo Santalucia and Silvia
Stellacci contributed to this report.
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