A September of solidarity: the pro-Palestinian demonstrations in Italy
September 2025 saw Italy crossed by a wave of pro-Palestinian demonstrations that involved dozens of cities, from Milan to Palermo. A solidarity movement fuelled by the escalation of the conflict and by the mobilisation in support of the Global Sumud Flotilla.
Three weeks of mobilisation
The protest broke out around three key dates: 19 September with the CGIL strike, which brought more than 2,000 people in front of the Prefecture of Modena, 22 September with the general strike called by USB and the rank-and-file unions, which saw marches all over Italy, and 27 September with demonstrations targeting the company Leonardo in Brescia, Grottaglie, La Spezia and Turin.
In Modena, around a thousand demonstrators crossed the historic centre with Palestinian flags, calling for an immediate ceasefire and an end to what they describe as the "genocide of the Palestinian people".
The flotilla under attack
Central to the protests was support for the Global Sumud Flotilla, the humanitarian fleet heading for Gaza with aid for the Palestinian population. Demonstrators denounced the Israeli attacks on the boats and asked the Italian government to protect the volunteers on board, including Italian members of parliament.
The protests brought out the issue of "war logistics", pointing the finger at the complicity of Italian industry in the conflict, in particular at Leonardo spa and its plants.
A movement that keeps growing
What emerges is a cross-cutting movement that brings together unions, students, pacifists and ordinary citizens. The demonstrations showed a turnout that goes beyond the "professional protesters", drawing in people normally far from the streets.
The capacity for mobilisation shown in September suggests that the Palestinian question will keep being central to Italian public debate, with the movement promising to "block everything" until there are concrete changes in government policy.
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