Mon Sep 22 15:32:15 UTC 2025: ## Italian Protests Erupt in Solidarity with Palestine, Demand Arms Embargo

**Rome, September 22, 2025** – Italy was gripped by widespread protests and strikes today as demonstrators took to the streets in solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza. The nationwide action, organized by grassroots unions, caused significant disruptions across the country, affecting public transportation, schools, and ports.

Thousands participated in the “Let’s Block Everything” protests, demanding an end to arms shipments to Israel and condemning the “inertia” of the Italian and EU governments in addressing the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.

Tensions escalated in Milan, where protesters clashed with police at the city’s central train station. Demonstrators, some masked and armed with batons, attempted to storm the station, throwing smoke bombs, bottles, and stones. Police responded with pepper spray. In Bologna, water cannons were deployed to disperse protesters blocking a highway.

Workers’ sit-ins and rallies slowed or halted the transit of goods at major ports like Genoa and Livorno. In Rome, over 20,000 people gathered in front of the city’s central station, voicing their outrage over the worsening conditions in Gaza.

The strikes and protests were called by unions representing a broad range of workers, from teachers to metalworkers, and stemmed from growing anger over Israel’s ongoing offensive in Gaza. The offensive, which began after the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack, has resulted in over 65,100 Palestinian deaths, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry, a figure considered reliable by UN agencies and independent experts.

While Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani condemned the violence and disruptions caused by the protests, calling them unhelpful to the Palestinian cause, the pressure on the conservative government of Premier Giorgia Meloni, a close ally of Israel, is mounting. While Italy has adopted a “harsher tone” regarding Israeli policies recently, it remains among the nations that won’t formally recognize a Palestinian state at this week’s UN General Assembly.

The creation of a Palestinian state in east Jerusalem, the West Bank, and Gaza continues to be recognized internationally as a key element in resolving the decades-long conflict.

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