Thousands of people marched in Cagliari for the people of Gaza , but protests are taking place throughout Italy.
Tensions are running high in Milan, with clashes between a group of protesters and police. Protesters attempted to enter the ground floor of the Central Station, throwing smoke bombs, objects, and scaffolding. Officers responded with truncheons and lightening charges.
A contingent of Carabinieri were also present. The clashes then moved to Piazza Duca d'Aosta, in front of the station, with people throwing barriers at the police line, shouting "murderers."
The pro-Gaza march had shortly before approached within a few hundred meters of the American consulate, which was guarded by law enforcement. Then there was a moment of silence in Piazza della Repubblica, and the mournful sound of drones crashing into Gaza rang out for a long time. "You must always hear this sound in your conscience," they said through a megaphone. Then a US flag was burned.
In Milan, more than a dozen protesters were arrested and around sixty law enforcement officers were injured or bruised.
Tensions also erupted in Bologna, where the march entered the ring road and effectively blocked it. Some protesters even managed to enter the highway with smoke bombs and flags, disrupting traffic . The police station located halfway along Via Stalingrado opened and let the protesters pass, amid cheers of joy from the marchers, who, escorted by police, reached the ring road.
According to an initial estimate, over twenty thousand people gathered in Rome's square. The number of participants is growing.
In Pisa, protesters invaded the Florence-Pisa-Livorno expressway, blocking traffic heading towards the sea. Thousands of people accessed the highway from the junction near the airport and completely occupied the lane, paralyzing traffic. Meanwhile, traffic in the direction of Florence, though slowed by the curiosity of motorists, is flowing normally.
MELONS AND SALAD
The events in Milan have been condemned by several political figures, including Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and Mayor Beppe Sala: "The images coming from Milan are shameful: self-styled 'pro-pal', self-styled 'antifa', and self-styled 'pacifists' devastating the station and sparking clashes with law enforcement. Violence and destruction that have nothing to do with solidarity and will not change the lives of people in Gaza one iota , but will have concrete consequences for Italian citizens, who will end up suffering and paying for the damage caused by these hooligans. My thoughts go out to the law enforcement agencies, forced to endure the arrogance and gratuitous violence of these pseudo-protesters. I hope for clear condemnation from the strike organizers and all political forces," the prime minister wrote on social media.
The mayor of Milan, however, called for the perpetrators to be identified as soon as possible: " Today's vandalism, caused by violent groups, is unjustifiable and certainly does not help the Gaza cause. In recent weeks, Milan has seen a series of well-attended demonstrations in defense of the Palestinian cause, always peacefully ," he commented.
"What happened today is truly unjustifiable; these are very violent fringe groups. It could probably have been caused by Palestine or other causes, but the desire to destroy everything is turning the area around the Central Station into a battlefield," he added. "It's unjustifiable; in fact, it's even worse, because in this delicate moment, with part of the city under water and with the problems that exist, we have law enforcement doing everything possible to hold the various fronts. I would like to know who they are; I would like a rapid investigation because it's clear that there are fringe groups on the move, perhaps not just Milanese, but they are casting a shadow over a demonstration that was so peaceful," Sala concluded .
Democratic Party Secretary Elly Schlein also condemned the events in Milan: "Meloni calls on all political forces to condemn the events in Milan. I have no problem condemning the devastation of the station and the wounding of 60 officers. We have always condemned all forms of political violence because we never consider it justifiable, and it has never been our method. However, we cannot accept that the violence of a few hundred people covers up the tens of thousands who peacefully demonstrated. Because while we always condemn violence, we are still waiting for you to condemn Netanyahu's crimes, instead of doing and saying only what is right for Trump and Netanyahu ."
(Unioneonline)