Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has reacted sharply after protests held today in several cities in Italy, which were accompanied by roadblocks, temporary occupations of stations and clashes with law enforcement.
The protests, organized by grassroots unions in solidarity with the people of Gaza and in support of the Global Sumud flotilla, took place in over 80 Italian cities.
While most of the demonstrations were peaceful, the incidents in Milan drew the attention of the government and prompted a reaction from Meloni, who in a statement on social media described the images as "indecent."
She condemned the violence of some groups that, according to her, do not represent the cause they claim to be protesting for.
"The images coming from Milan are shameful: self-proclaimed 'pro-friends', self-proclaimed 'antifa' and self-proclaimed 'pacifists', destroying the station and causing clashes with the police. Violence and destruction that have nothing to do with solidarity and will not change the lives of people in Gaza at all, but will have concrete consequences for Italian citizens, who will end up suffering and paying for the damages caused by these hooligans. My thoughts go out to the police, who are forced to put up with the arrogance and unnecessary violence of these pseudo-protesters. I hope for clear condemnation from the organizers of the strike and all political forces," Meloni wrote in X.
Meloni called on the organizers of the protests and all political forces to clearly distance themselves from acts of violence.
"I expect a clear and unequivocal sentence ," she declared.
Protests for Gaza in Italy continue in a tense climate, where the clash between pro-Palestinian stances and political reactions within the country is becoming increasingly visible.