Thousands Rally in Italy, Greece to Protest Israeli Flotilla Attack

(MENAFN) Mass protests erupted across Italy and Greece on Monday as thousands descended onto the streets to condemn Israel's military interception of the Global Sumud Flotilla — an international humanitarian convoy attempting to pierce the longstanding blockade on Gaza and deliver desperately needed aid to the besieged Palestinian territory.

Italy witnessed its most sweeping demonstration of public anger, with rallies igniting in Rome and numerous other cities under the banner of a nationwide general strike jointly coordinated by labor unions and civil society organizations. Protesters mobilized under the rallying cry "We block everything," channeling widespread fury over multiple grievances: surging living costs, the prioritization of military expenditure over healthcare and education funding, opposition to war-driven foreign policy, and demands that the Italian government sever any complicity with Israel and stand in solidarity with the Global Sumud Flotilla.

In Rome, a sea of Palestinian flags flooded Piazza dei Cinquecento as thousands converged before advancing in a large procession toward Piazza San Giovanni. Demonstrators chanted in support of Palestine and pressed for an immediate suspension of diplomatic and economic ties with Israel. Parallel solidarity actions drew comparable crowds in Milan, Naples, and Turin.

Across the Aegean, hundreds of protesters gathered outside Greece's Foreign Ministry in Athens, raising Palestinian flags and banners emblazoned with the message "Hands off Palestine." Crowds demanded the immediate release of detained flotilla activists and chanted in unison for Palestinian freedom.

The demonstrations follow a dramatic confrontation at sea: on Monday, the Israeli military stormed and seized the Global Sumud humanitarian flotilla in international waters, detaining approximately 100 activists aboard the convoy as it attempted to break Israel's blockade on the Palestinian enclave.

The flotilla — comprising more than 50 vessels — had departed Thursday from the Turkish Mediterranean district of Marmaris in what organizers described as a renewed and determined bid to challenge the Israeli blockade in place since 2007. The mission carried 426 participants from 40 countries, including 96 Turkish nationals alongside activists from Germany, the US, Argentina, Australia, Bahrain, Brazil, Algeria, Indonesia, Morocco, France, South Africa, the UK, Ireland, Spain, Italy, Canada, Egypt, Pakistan, Tunisia, Oman, and New Zealand.

This is not the first time the flotilla has come under attack. On April 29, Israeli forces previously struck the Global Sumud convoy off the coast of the Greek island of Crete — underscoring what activists describe as a systematic campaign to neutralize international aid efforts bound for Gaza.

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