Labour strikes and protests in Italy against complicity in the Gaza genocide
General strikes for Gaza
22 September 2025 Italian general strike 3 October 2025 Italian general strike 28 November 2025 Italian general strike Part of theGaza war protests andGen Z protests
Top to bottom: Giovani Comunisti/e (Young Communists) at the general strike for Gaza inAncona, Marche; Piazza Duca d'Aosta inMilan, facingMilano Centrale railway station, crowded with people before the riots (credits: Chronocol Media); protesters climb the metro escalators to enter the main hall of Milano Centrale station, where police officers await them at the top (credits: Chronocol Media)
The protests followed a separate day of more limited industrial action, lasting four hours and excluding essential public services, that was called for 19 September by the Transport Federation of theItalian General Confederation of Labour (CGIL), Italy's largest trade union.[13][14][18][19] CUBTrasporti, which joined the 19 September action,[20] withdrew from the 22 September strike along with USB Lavoro Privato.[21] The CatholicItalian Confederation of Trades Unions (CISL) and the moderateItalian Labour Union (UIL) did not participate, opting instead for fundraising and solidarity initiatives.[22]
On 20 September, protests in support of the general strike, and with its same goals, continued in various places of Italy, such as inMestre where over ten thousand people protested, blocking the entrance to the city entirely, with the official support of CGIL, USB, parties that include theFive Star Movement (M5S), theDemocratic Party (PD) and theGreens and Left Alliance (AVS), and organizations such asANPI and the Italian-basedNGOEmergency.[23][24] Another ten thousand people also gathered inTurin on the same day, sponsored byRete Torino per Gaza ("Turin Network for Gaza"), local mosques and political parties such as M5S,Communist Refoundation Party andPower to the People.[25][26] A minor protest was also scheduled in Rome where the organizationLast Generation proclaimed an unauthorizedhunger strike protest supporting the general strike and the Palestinian cause, which was however halted before its start with the arrest of 4 activists.[27]
The general strike of some metropolitan lines started to be applied as early as 21:00 local time, on September 21.[28]
Events
First strike and aftermath
Rete degli Studenti Medi (RSM) at the general strike for Gaza in AnconaThe facade of Milano Centrale railway station fromPiazza Duca d'Aosta after the square was cleared, withCarabinieri advancing towardsVia Vittor Pisani, where the protest had been dispersed. (credits: Chronocol Media)A man stands facing police onVia Vittor Pisani during a brief pause in the protest, moments before another police charge. (credits: Chronocol Media)
The attacks had caused protests in many places of Italy.[34] The very first reaction was from CGIL, which announced an immediate protest inPiazza di Monte Citorio in Rome (where theChamber of Deputies is located).[35] Another protest in Rome, protesting armament sale to Israel and involving action in front of aRheinmetall factory, continued even after the arrival of law enforcement, with some individuals chaining themselves to the entrance of the building.[36] Student movements in Rome also occupied various universities and schools, protesting the attack on the Flotilla;[37][38] students at Sapienza University announced a permanent occupation of the faculty until agreements with Israeli universities are suspended, following the example of other Italian institutions.[39] In Turin, at least over two thousand people reunited inPiazza Castello,[40][41] making its way to theTorino Porta Susa railway station; after reaching the station, some of the protesters entered the trains where they shouted and hanged various slogans and posters,[41] whilst others, around 20:00 local time, occupied therailway track of the station, blocking the circulation of the local train.[42] InFlorence, students organized a protest which started inVia Santo Spirito and ended in front of the localU.S. consulate. Meanwhile, at theport of Livorno and theport of Taranto, protests prevented Israeli ships from docking.[43][44] In Milan, a protest sponsored by CUB started inPiazza della Scala before going towardsPiazza Castello, with protesters chanting "Bella ciao".[41] In Pisa, a protest started inPiazza XX Settembre, before the protesters occupied theSan Rossore railway station, preventing various trains from circulating.[45] In Bologna, thePrima Piazza del Nettuno and its surrounding areas were occupied by a protest which counted thousands of people with many of them asking for Israeli exclusion from theGiro dell'Emilia; the University of Bologna was also occupied.[46] Protests also took place inOsnago,Cuneo andVerona.[47][48][49] On September 25, protests continued, including one inMacerata in which the group "Saturdays for Palestine" protested inPiazza della Libertà, one inSpoleto and one inChieti.[50][51][52] CGIL Catania also protested inPiazza Stesicoro with a partial strike and demonstration.[53]
USB announced that on 26 September a new general strike, with the same goals as the last one, was going to be held due to the renewed Israeli attacks of 24 September.[35][54] Starting from that day, USB, along with Global Movement for Gaza and Palestinian associations in Italy, set up a permanent mobilization across squares and public spaces in the country, named100 Piazze per Gaza and beginning inPiazza dei Cinquecento in Rome.[55][56] Organizers vowed to escalate the pressure on the government on the next national demonstration, to be held in Rome on 4 October.[4][39][55][56] On 26 September,neofascist partyForza Nuova participated in the protests, condemning Italy whilst also ridiculing and antagonizing left-wing protesters. Despite moments of tensions the two groups did not have an escalation.[57] In the late hours of 27 September, dockworkers at theport of Genoa blocked a weapons cargo from being loaded on the Israel-boundZim New Zealand vessel, forcing it to leave empty;[58][59] this followed a day of public demonstrations organized byCollettivo Autonomo Laboratori Portuali (CALP), Music For Peace, USB, CGIL, UIL, student unions and the local Catholic clergy, and led by the mayor of the citySilvia Salis and the president ofLiguriaMarco Bucci; it also saw the continued occupation of theUniversity of Genoa[59] and a public assembly among delegations of dockworkers' unions from around Europe, including France, Greece, Slovenia, Cyprus, theBasque Country andHamburg.[60] In the following days, dockworkers in Livorno refused to work for another Zim vessel, theVirginia,[61] while a protest in Taranto blocked anEni oil cargo to Israel, theSeasalvia, for several hours before it was able to depart.[62]
On the day of the strike, which was shorter than the previous one but was equally joined by hundreds of thousands of citizens, there were delays and cancellations in railway transport, and several highways and ports were blocked by protesters.[5] Clashes with police forces occurred at theRA 1 andA 51 highways outside Bologna and Milan, respectively.[5]
A previously scheduled national rally in Rome was held on 4 October,[74] with heavy clashes with the police erupting towards the end; cars were set ablaze by some protesters and several people were injured.[6] At the same time, inLocarno, Switzerland, around 200 people reunited to protest in favour of Palestine and in coordination with the Roman protests.[75] On the same day, militants associated withCasaPound were spotted inEsquilino attacking pro-Palestinian protesters, despite the organization'sopposition to Israel and pro-Palestinian stance and activism up until then.[76][77] On 5 October, in San Marino, a hugefundraising protest managed to gather funds for theSan Marino for Gaza project, organized with the help of the NGOs EducAid and Marciamela Association at the end of August.[78] On 12 October 2025, a Pro-Palestinian protest in Trieste tried to disturb theBarcolana.[79] On 13 October 2025, pro-Palestinian students occupied the Vincenzo Arangio Ruiz Technical Institute. The day after a video from the occupied institute, showing the students performing theRoman salute and shouting "Dux! Dux! Dux!" caused controversy.[80] On the same day the Isaac Newton High School was also occupied in Rome.[81] A protest was also held inUdine on 14 October, in conjunction withan Italy vs Israel qualification match for the2026 FIFA World Cup at theStadio Friuli, as part of the "Show Israel the Red Card" campaign. It was reported that the Ministry of Interior would coordinateMossad and the Italian police to escort the Israeli team throughout its stay, with additional forces deployed to keep protesters outside the stadium;[82][83] although the reports were dismissed by the ministry's Department of Security,[84] parts of city around the stadium and the hotel were shut down, with sightings of drones, helicopters and snipers ahead of the match.[85][86] Clashes erupted when protesters tried to break through the police belt, and were dispersed with water cannons; between 5,000 and 10,000 participants were reported.[86] 15 people were arrested and 2 journalists were injured.[86][87] On the same day, in San Marino, theCollettivo San Marino per la Palestina (San Marino Collective for Palestine) stated that the cease‑fire in Gaza must mark the beginning of Palestinian self‑determination, end the occupation, free the hostages, allow humanitarian aid, and ensure international justice, and that up until those goals were not met they would continue to protest, mobilize and organize, like their Italian counterparts.[88] On 15 October, the Montessori High School was occupied by pro-Palestinian students in Rome.[89] At the same time, the Marco Polo and Buontalenti high schools were also similarly occupied in Florence.[90] On 17 October there were protests in Bologna with the support of students from the Aldini, Sabin, and Minghetti high schools in Bologna.[91] After the announcement of a bill proposed by senatorMaurizio Gasparri, which promotes to makeanti-Zionism and anti-semtism legal synonyms, various protests were held. On 18 October 2025,Cambiare Rotta andOsa organized a protest in Rome near the palace of theMinistry of Education and in various universities protesting the bill.[92] Similar events took place in Naples and Florence, with further promises to "fill the squares" of Italy over the matter. A portion of the Florentine protesters detached from the rest and headed for theFlorence Airport, where they had a scuffle with the stationed police units, causing 13 people to be injured, ten among the police and three among the protesters.[93][94] Another protest took place in Florence on the same day at theUniversity of Florence, which was occupied by its students asking the university to cut any ties with Israel.[95] On 17 October, in Switzerland, theIndependent Union of Students and Apprentices (SISA) stated that on 17 November they would organize a "Day for Palestine" in Bellinzona.[96] On 20 October 2025, theUniversity of Trento and the Vittoriani High School in Naples were occupied by their students as a sign of protest[97][98] The USB and the Autonomous Port Group of Livorno organization jointly organized a pro-Palestinian protest inPiombino.[99]
On 21 October 2025, USB and CUB declared a new general strike in support of Palestine, which was scheduled on 28 November 2025.[100][101] On 23 October 2025, the Agrario and Alberti high schools in Florence were occupied,[102] whilst two new educational institutes were also occupied in Naples resulting in one of the school's principals, the one in charge of the Mazzini High School, to call law enforcement, asking for the students to be kicked out.[103][104] On 24 October, a protest consisting of at least 400 people took place at thePiazza Verdi in Rome, which was supposed to be static.[105] However, despite attempts at diplomacy between the participants and law enforcement, the protest tried to reach another area; this prompted the police to use hydrants and a major scuffle occurred, resulting in 41 law enforcement officers being injured and 12 people being arrested.[106][107] The students' intention to occupy the Giordano-Strianotechnical institute was called off when the principal of the school locked herself in the principal room for over 48 hours.[108] Between the night of 23 and 24 October, during the occupation of the Bramante High School in Rome, a group of 15 people affiliated with far-right politics entered the school building, drewswastikas in the corridors and threw glass bottles around, yelling "we're going to destroy everything in here!," before being chased away in the schoolyard by the occupying students. The following night the same group attacked again and they threwprojectiles at the entrance (almost injuring the occupying students), climbed in, used bins, kicks and sticks to break down the door, tried to remove a safety barricade, swung large sticks inside, and fled.[109] On 25 October, at theMostra d'Oltremare in Naples, a group of protesters voiced their dissent against the participation ofTeva Pharmaceuticals at the Pharmexpo 2025 and later got into a clash with the deployed police forces, resulting in two injuries (part of the police force) and three arrested activists.[110] Another, significantly bigger, protest took place in Turin against foreign ministerAntonio Tajani over his stance on Gaza, resulting in two injured officers.[111] In Genoa, on 26 October at midnight, a group of at least 40 people raided the Da Vinci High School;[112] the armed group, reported to beneofascist, had gotten weapons from a nearby construction site and upon raiding the school emptied the fire extinguishers, yelled "Glory to theDuce!," drew swastikas, broke doors and windows and tried to injure students. The people involved have been identified by some sources as relatively young (15–17 years old).[113][114] Another raid occurred on the same night in the Leonardo High School in similar circumstances.[115] On 27 October 2025, the Bergese and Firpo Buonarroti high schools in Genoa were occupied by pro-Palestinian students.[116] On the same day, in Turin, a very tense situation was initiated following the arrival of a young man distributing leaflet by militants ofNational Youth (theyouth wing of the rulingBrothers of Italy party) againstmaranza [it] subculture. Soon after, a scuffle occurred between the National Youth members and the pro-Palestinian student committee of the occupied Einstein high school, resulting in one arrest. Brothers of Italy (FdI) denounced the incident and its Youth Wing stated it would not stop "raising awareness" against maranza culture. Meanwhile, the committee allegedly stated someplainclothes officers intervened among the students and caused the scuffle to escalate before beating and injuring the arrested student.[117] After the arrest, the FdI headquarters in Turin wereegged by an unorganized spontaneous protest.[118] Meanwhile, protests in Bologna and Ancona occurred.[119][120] Later that night, in Venice, at the site of theCa' Foscari University, the "Leftists for Israel" group was interrupted from giving a speech during an event as members of theFront of Communist Youth (FGC).[121] On 28 October, the Melissa Bassi High School in Naples was occupied by pro-Palestinian students as well and an attempt to occupy the Francesco Sbordone High School failed.[122][123] On the same day, evidence of a possible plot to raid the Firpo–Buonarroti High School were uncovered by the students.[124] On that night, the Firpo–Buonarroti High School, Nautico High School, and Calvino High School were raided by neofascist armed groups; however, only the raid on the Firpo–Buonarroti High School managed to enter the school, injuring two students.[125]
November
During the night between November 2 and 3, the Mamiani High School inPrati, Rome, was occupied. A group of students blocked the entrance with a barrier made of school desks, preventing anyone from entering the historic high school.[126] The school took a stand with a statement referring to "danger to the safety of the boys and girls inside the school", but also to "a serious act against democracy and the right to education".[127] The same happened at the Aristofanelanguage andclassical high school inTufello: after a meeting convened on Sunday, the students joined the protest "in defense of the Palestinian people and against the genocide taking place." On the evening of November 3, a group of youngneo-fascists attacked the Righi high school, occupied by pro-Palestinian students on October 23, shouting "Duce, duce". The occupiers repelled the attackers, and an intense bottle-throwing battle began in the street. One girl was injured in the neck.[128][129] The authorities searched the houses of three of the raiders and linked them to the far-right organizationLotta Studentesca (Students Fight).[130] On 7 November 2025, in the middle of the day, a group of raiders attacked the Santa Beatrice primary/secondary school inTrullo [it], Rome; The raiders threw acherry bomb, drew swastikas and other far-right symbols on the walls, and heavily damaged the school's intercom.[131][132] The school stated that this was the second incident of this caliber, as they had already been attacked on 31 October. The school seems to have shown support for Pro-Palestinian strikes as early as 29 October 2025.[132][133] On the same day, later that night, over 400 students of the Righi high school held a protest in which multiple of them were seen chanting the slogan "No pasarán".[134] At the same time, a portion of the quarter of Tufello spontaneously mobilized to protect the occupied school from any raiders.[135] On 10 November, the Giordano Bruno and Pacinotti-Archimede high schools, in Rome'sMunicipality III, were occupied.[136] On the same day, a pro-Palestinian protest took place in the city ofIvrea.[137]
On 14 November, in Milan, Bologna,[138] Rome[139][140] and Naples,[139] there were a series of protests dubbed "No Meloni Day".[141] These protests tackled a series of topics, such asenvironmentalism,european rearmament, the conditions of Italian schools and the Palestinian genocide.[138] The protests were also staunchly anti-government andanti-establishment, even calling tooust the government and criticizing the conduct of Meloni, Salvini,Valditara and Schlein towards the Palestinian question, the inaction on neo-fascist raids in schools and the other topics.[138][142] The protests were organized byUnione degli Studenti (Union of Students),Opposizione Studentesca d'Alternativa (Alternative Student Opposition),Fridays for Future,Network of Communists and other groups.[138] 10,000 protesters showed up in Milan,[138] over 1,000 in Turin,[143] 300–400 in Bologna and a few hundred were present in Naples.[144][139] The protests resulted in 9 injuries.[143]
On 21 November, upon being denied access to classrom T2 by theUniversity of Verona, around 600–800 forcefully occupied it without any permit in order to hold a conference that guestedGreta Thunberg, Maya Issa and Simone Zambrin. The conference discussed the war in Gaza, the dangers of anti-semitism and the need to keep protesting.[145]
On 29 November, following a general strike on the previous day, pro-Palestinian protests were held across the country, with over 20,000 demonstrators in Rome, including Greta Thunberg,Thiago Ávila andFrancesca Albanese (UN Special Rapporteur on the occupied Palestinian territories). Protesters denounced the complicity of the Italian government media with Israel, and some protesters broke into the headquarters ofLa Stampa in Turin.[146]
Reactions
Italy
Italian prime minister Giorgia Meloni criticized the 22 September strike, calling protesters "hooligans" and claiming that clashing with the police and destroying private property would not help the people in Gaza;[2][11] ministers Matteo Salvini andMatteo Piantedosi, and Senate chairIgnazio La Russa, joined her remarks.[2][30] Media have highlighted the posture of the Meloni government as strictly pro-Israel during the war, with the cabinet ruling out anyrecognition of the State of Palestine in contrast with what numerous other European countries chose to do at the opening of the80th session of the UN General Assembly.[1][11][13] Replying to Meloni, opposition leaderElly Schlein stated her condemnation for the violence of "a few hundred protesters" while demanding that the government distance itself from "Netanyahu's crimes in Gaza and theWest Bank".[2]
Italian media likened the protests to similar international demonstrations that simultaneously occurred, recognized as theGen Z protests.[147][148][149][150][151]Il Fatto Quotidiano criticized the coverage of the strike by the government agencies and "almost all" the daily newspapers, alleging that they focused on events in Milan and exaggerated damage to the Centrale station, but ignored or marginalized the reports of mass assemblies in public urban spaces.[152]
Meloni characterized the 3 October strike, which occurred on a Friday, as a pretext for along weekend, while Minister of the Interior Matteo Piantedosi stated that CGIL was fuelling a climate of "social unrest".[5] Minister of Transports Matteo Salvini called a for sanctions on "those who strike illegally" after he had declared the strike invalid, and commented "Those are not strikers, those are criminals." CGIL secretary Maurizio Landini and PD leader Elly Schlein defended the strike as a constitutional right.[5]
While taking in part in the Rome demonstration on 29 November, UN RapporteurFrancesca Albanese condemned the attacks on theLa Stampa headquarters, however adding that it should be taken as a "warning". Members of the ruling parties criticized her position.[146]
Switzerland
TheTicino League questioned the cost of pro-Palestinian protests,[153] and condemned the protests and attacks againstIgnazio Cassis as well as the alleged "sanctification" of the Sumud Flotilla's crew.[154]
Upon receiving a teachers' plenum letter from the middle school ofViganello addressing the humanitarian crisis in Gaza and theWest Bank, the Ticino branch of theSocial Democratic Party of Switzerland supported its content. On the other hand, the municipality ofLugano reacted in a hostile manner, drawing criticism from the SDPS.[155]
Whilst the first wave of protests in Ticino in September 2025 seemed to be almost a spillover of Italy's own mobilization,[8][9] with protests in Italy even having consequences on Swiss transportation,[156] the protests in Ticino slowly started to blend in and join the solidarity movement in the rest of Switzerland, with increasing riots in cities likeBern,Lausanne andGeneva,[157][158] rather than strictly being part of the Italian protests.
Israel
TheMinistry of Diaspora Affairs and Combating Antisemitism, in co-operation with the J-soc National Center for Combating Antisemitism, closely monitored the 22 September strike and protests, and compiled a detailed dossier on the protests and their participants in both Italy and San Marino, which was published on Israel's official government website by 24 September.[159][160][161][162]
Other dossiers were made regarding the protests on 8 October, 18 October and 23 October. They were given a "risk ranking" ranging from "low" to "high". In the dossier social media accounts related to the protests were also listed and reported, such as:Mezzocannone Occupato,Global Movement To Gaza Campania,K.A.O.S.,Collettivo ARGO andHumanity_InFocus.[163][164]
The Israeli ambassador in Italy at the time of the protests,Jonathan Peled, commented on how the protesters did not advocate for peace, and asked Italy to stop the protests due to them allegedly supportingterrorism.[165]
Reactions to the Israeli dossiers
TheCoordinamento dei Collettivi Autorganizzati Universitari (CAU) defined the dossier "creepy" and questioned the reasons why the Israeli government would produce such a document and record activities of people outside of its national borders, adding that protesters have always been publicly identifiable citizens determined in good faith to stop a genocide.[160][162]
^Insolia, Mattia."La marea umana di Milano per Gaza: «Vi aiutiamo noi a definire bambino»".Domani (in Italian). Retrieved8 October 2025. [THE GEN Z There are many high school students, university students. Many have a kefiah around their necks or Luffy's flag from One Piece, the manga; it is the symbol of Gen Z for protests about Palestine. ... They are between sixteen and nineteen years old and, aware that the future is theirs, ... they took to the streets because they don't want it, this world that previous generations insist on trying to stick in their heads.]
^Maggioni, Roberto (5 October 2025)."Un movimento che in pochi hanno visto arrivare e con cui tutti si dovranno confrontare".Radio Popolare (in Italian). Retrieved8 October 2025. [The anger against the genocide has blown up the cap of Italian political and social immobility. ... These days will remain in history especially if we look at them through the eyes of Gen Z, the generation of those under 25 years old, a generation that thought was closed in post-Covid hardship and that, instead, is occupying public space and is speaking, without leaders or organizations already structured.]
^Moro, Elisabetta (3 October 2025)."Avere vent'anni e scendere in piazza: gli studenti occupano le università e i licei per Gaza".Cosmopolitan (in Italian). Retrieved8 October 2025. [The protests of Gen Z in Nepal, Morocco, Indonesia, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Peru to demand less corrupt governments. ... And now in Europe, and especially in Italy, the occupied universities and the protests after the Israeli army blocked the mission of the Global Sumud Flotilla. All over the world, young people are making their voices heard, they are invading the streets, creating unrest, asking to be heard.]
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