The turnout for Monday’s demonstrations speaks for itself. It was one of the biggest antiwar protests to take place in Italy since October 7th.
Initiated by unions under the slogan “Let’s block everything”, including a four-hour transit strike organised by the Italian General Confederation of Labour (CGIL), for a day, Italy was brought to a standstill by the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
The protests were not unexpected. They have been occurring for almost two years now, although not on this scale. Usually, they’re confined to the main cities – the country’s capital, Milano, and where I live, Torino.
Their spread to other municipalities is a testimony to increasing public anger about Israel’s campaign in Gaza, and the scale of Palestinian casualties, which ex-IDF chief Herzl Halevi recently admitted is well over 200,000.
With critics calling the Italian government complicit in the conflict, as Israel’s third-largest military supplier, its role in the Gaza War is turning out to be one of the ruling coalition’s most significant vulnerabilities.
Questioning whether Italy has embargoed weapons sales to Israel – the government claims they were halted in 2024, while activists and journalists insist they have not – the issue is causing the most serious credibility crisis of Giorgia Meloni’s premiership.
The current protests began on Saturday, when a Palestine solidarity march took place in Torino. Starting at Piazza Statuto, the route meandered down to Porta Palazzo, then headed south on Via Milano, which I followed, taking photographs and making field recordings of the demonstrators.
Although I oppose the war, these events are always complex for me. While I agree with many of the criticisms of Israel I come across in Italy, they still hit close to home. I always wish the situation were different. Covering these demonstrations is my way of taking responsibility for the tragedy.
Photographs courtesy of Joel Schalit. All rights reserved.
