Thousands of protesters and striking workers demanding solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza brought much of Italy to a standstill on Monday, with demonstrations spilling into streets, train stations and ports across the country.
The 24-hour general strike, called by grassroots unions representing hundreds of thousands of workers from teachers to metalworkers, disrupted schools, transport networks and shipping routes. Train services suffered long delays nationwide, while public transport in major cities such as Rome was heavily reduced.
In Milan, tension escalated when black-clad protesters carrying batons attempted to storm the city’s central train station, hurling smoke bombs, bottles and stones at police. Officers responded with pepper spray. In Bologna, water cannons were used to disperse demonstrators blocking a highway.
The impact spread to Italy’s ports, where workers staged sit-ins in Genoa and Livorno, slowing or halting cargo transit. In Rome, more than 20,000 people gathered outside the central station to denounce the humanitarian catastrophe unfolding in Gaza.
“If we don’t block what Israel is doing, if we don’t block trade, the distribution of weapons and everything else with Israel, we will not ever achieve anything,” said Walter Montagnoli, national secretary of the CUB union, during a march in Milan.
Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani condemned violence against security forces, writing on X that “attacking highways, stations and ports does not help the Palestinian civil population.”
The government of Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has faced growing domestic pressure over its support for Israel. While her administration has recently struck a sharper tone on Israeli policies, Italy has stopped short of joining France and other European states expected to recognize a Palestinian state at this week’s UN General Assembly.
The war in Gaza, now in its 23rd month, has killed more than 65,100 people, according to the Hamas-run health ministry, and displaced nearly 90 percent of the strip’s population. UN agencies consider the ministry’s figures the most reliable casualty estimates, though it does not differentiate between civilians and combatants.
Health officials in Gaza reported that two hospitals in Gaza City — Al-Rantissi Children’s Hospital and the nearby Eye Hospital — were forced to close in recent days due to escalating Israeli bombardments. The ministry accused Israel of deliberately targeting medical facilities, describing the attacks as part of a “systematic policy” against Gaza’s healthcare system.