Reportage
The tide of humanity in Rome for Palestine: ‘We are with you’
‘A government worthy of representing the Italian people would have immediately stopped all arms exports to Israel.’
“I walked through the march thinking about my people, my family, my friends, trying to find the words to describe what I’m seeing. But as a Palestinian, it’s difficult: I feel a mixture of pride, deep emotion and pain. This isn’t just a protest; it’s a collective breath, all sorts of people ready to say, ‘We see you, we are with you.’ What I want is an end to the genocide and a free Palestine, as soon as possible.” Imran is from East Jerusalem and has been in Italy for a few days.
The river of demonstrations, blockades and strikes that began a month ago with the flotilla’s departure and exploded with the September 22 general strike became a tidal wave on Saturday. A march this large has not been seen in Rome for 20 years, not since the massive union protests against the repeal of Article 18 in 2002 or those against the Iraq War a year later. This time, as evening fell, groups of young people clashed with police around Piazza Vittorio and Piazza San Giovanni.
Those incidents took place more than six hours after the official start of the march, which was itself preceded by several feeder rallies across the city. By 2:30 p.m., the starting point at Porta San Paolo was already overflowing, forcing the march to begin moving just to make room for the continuous stream of people still arriving. The crowd was diverse and varied: students and workers, the very young and the elderly, organized groups and countless individuals who came on their own to raise their voices against the genocide.
Francesca is 14, a student at the Newton scientific high school in Rome. She holds a sign that reads: “Be silent when children are sleeping, not when they are dying.” “The worst mistake we can make is to say nothing in the face of this atrocity,” she says. “Being here is our way of opposing what they are doing in Gaza.”
Further ahead are student groups from Osa and Cambiare Rotta. “It’s ridiculous that Meloni claims protesting is useless,” says Filippo from Cambiare Rotta. “A government worthy of representing the Italian people would have immediately stopped all arms exports to Israel. We will continue to mobilize and shut everything down, from the universities to the streets.”
The sun bears down on the marchers as the packed procession tries to move past the Pyramid of Cestius. A young man has a sign on his backpack: “Hungry protesters, come here.” His name is Luca, a sfoglino – an expert pasta maker – from Bologna. “I made some parmesan panini to give to anyone who wants one,” he says. “I’m doing it for the community.” Along Viale Aventino, a reader of il manifesto is waving a big sign with a cartoon by Maicol&Mirco from Thursday’s front page, which shows two characters holding hands: “I feel like a drop in the ocean,” one says. “Two drops,” the other replies. We talk to Chiara, the one holding the sign: “We feel like a drop in the ocean, but there are so many of us,” she tells us. “We’re from the Marche region, from the earthquake zones. We know what it means to lose so much, even if what we experienced is obviously not comparable to what the people of the Strip are enduring.”
Moving up through the procession isn’t easy. The streets are packed, the crowd is dense, and it spills into the side streets. From the Circus Maximus to the Colosseum, the sight is breathtaking. Francesca came from Florence with a sign that reads: “We wanted to free Palestine, but Palestine freed us.” “We’ve been taking to the streets for months to try to stop this genocide,” she explains. “But in reality, Palestine woke us from our slumber. We are here to say no to the war economy that is stripping away our public services, welfare, schools and hospitals. The resistance of the Palestinians has helped us, too.”
Halfway through the march is the banner of the Global Sumud Flotilla: “Gaza We Are Coming.” The mission was the catalyst for the protests of the last two months. “Today is a historic day, coming after another historic day,” says Maria Elena Delia, the Flotilla’s Italian spokesperson. “We are overwhelmed, because if our small project of 40 boats gave rise to all this, it means it was all worth it.” Though another group of detained activists returned to Italy on Saturday, including il manifesto reporter Lorenzo D’Agostino, the Flotilla's mission isn't over.
“We are just beginning, at sea and on land. We rose up against the inaction and indifference of governments, and we will continue to fight, because the Meloni administration’s lack of integrity knows no bounds. We will continue, buoyed by the strength of all these people,” Delia concludes.
“This response is heartwarming. It makes us feel less alone after so many small protests where there were only six of us, standing in 100-degree heat,” says actress Paola Michelini (who will be a special guest at il manifesto’s upcoming festival on October 12) a little further back. “It’s wonderful to see that this country has finally woken up.”
The chant that echoes most often is “Free, free Palestine.” Thousands, all along the march, sing: “Italy knows which side it’s on, Palestine free from the river to the sea!” The slogan, wrongly accused of anti-Semitism and even banned in some European countries, is shared by all, from adults to children.
Like it or not, two years of a live-streamed genocide – of images of mangled bodies, ethnic cleansing, razed cities and the dehumanization of Palestinians by Netanyahu and his cronies – have carved a deep rift in public opinion. Songs for Gaza now go hand in hand with songs against Tel Aviv, which have never been so widespread. A group of scouts from Colli Albani chants loudly in French: “Tout le monde déteste le sionisme” (“Everyone hates Zionism”). Others respond with “They kill women, they kill children, Israel is a state of murderers!” and “We are all anti-Zionists!”
Among the marchers are the dockworkers of the Autonomous Port Workers’ Group (GAP) of Livorno, who in recent weeks have been blocking Israeli ships and ships transporting weapons. “We’ve already blocked two, and more are going to arrive. We’re ready to stop them again. It’s wonderful to see so many people united in the same struggle,” says Marco of the GAP. “Better a Pisan in the house than a Netanyahu at the door!” the others joke, playing on a local proverb that insults their historic rivals from nearby Pisa.
Meanwhile, the head of the procession has flooded into Piazza San Giovanni. Protesters hoist a Palestinian flag into the hands of the statue of St. Francis, which is then surrounded by colored smoke. “There are over a million of us!” they announce from the lead truck. And again: “Let’s make a minute of noise for Palestine!” The square explodes in applause, as many women pull out their house keys and jangle them, a gesture borrowed from the feminist protests. Amid the crowd, a banner appears reading “October 7: Day of Palestinian Resistance.” It is held by a small group that doesn’t appear to be Palestinian and certainly doesn’t reflect the general sentiment of a crowd that is both determined and clear-eyed.
Several hundred meters back, the march continues. On Via Labicana, in a section at the rear, young people cover their faces. Suddenly, a group breaks off to the left. “The youth are taking back the streets against the genocide in Palestine! We’re going to Termini station in an unsanctioned march!” they shout into a megaphone.
At a brisk pace, at least two thousand protesters head for the city’s main train station to attempt to block it. A few dozen meters from the entrance, they are met by a wall of armored police vehicles and officers. They quickly turn toward Piazzale Esquilino. A water cannon arrives, the first tear gas canisters are fired, and rocks and bottles fly from the crowd. A boy who looks like a minor is hit on the head with a baton and falls to the ground, bleeding. Several people end up injured.
A little further on, about a hundred protesters are boxed in between a church gate and three police cordons. They raise their hands and chant “Free Palestine.” All end up detained for identification. The tension rises. Splinter groups of the march try to reach those who have been detained. Between San Giovanni and Piazza Vittorio, scuffles break out. A few cars and several dumpsters are set on fire. There are more police charges and more arrests.
The Meloni government is certain to play the card of “violent protesters” to try to delegitimize the movement. But this time, in the face of such an enormous demonstration and in the midst of a genocide of unprecedented violence, that probably won’t do much for them.
Originally published at https://ilmanifesto.it/la-marea-di-roma-per-la-palestina-siamo-un-milione on 2025-10-05