Rome Erupts: Mass Pro-Palestine Rally After Gaza Flotilla Interception Sparks Outrage

Large crowds assembled in central Rome on Saturday (October 4) for the fourth straight day of protests in Italy since Israel intercepted an international flotilla trying to deliver aid to Gaza, and detained its activists. People holding banners and Palestinian flags, chanting “Free Palestine“ and other slogans, filed past the Colosseum, taking part in a march that organisers hoped would attract at least 1 million people. “We said it: if they touch the Flotilla, we will block Italy. And we have blocked it, and will continue to block it,“ said Sara Monelli, an Italian activist of the Global Movement to Gaza. Since Israel started blocking the flotilla late on Wednesday, protests have sprung up across Europe and in other parts of the world, but in Italy they have been a daily occurrence, in multiple cities. On Friday (October 3), unions called a general strike in support of the flotilla, with demonstrations across the country that attracted more than 2 million, according to organisers. The interior ministry estimated attendance at around 400,000. Italy’s right-wing government has been critical of the protests, with Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni suggesting that people would skip work for Gaza just as an excuse for a longer weekend break. For this reason, some banners displayed in the streets directly addressed Meloni’s words. “A weekend as long as a genocide,“ one read. Źródło i opis: DawnNews English