Clashes at unauthorized pro-Palestine demonstration in Rome

There were at times intense clashes between demonstrators and police at an unauthorized pro-Palestine demonstration in Rome on Saturday.

Several thousand people gathered in the centre of the Italian capital, two days before the anniversary of the Hamas massacre in Israel on October 7, 2023.

Demonstrators wearing face coverings and dressed in black, threw bottles, firecrackers and traffic signs at the security forces, who responded with the use of tear gas and water cannon.

According to the authorities, the demonstration was not authorized by the Italian authorities due to security concerns. They also feared that the timing of the protest would "glorify" the Hamas terror attack of October 7.

Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi stressed before the demonstration that the security authorities in Italy were on high alert due to the possibility of terrorist attacks before the anniversary.

During a march near the Colosseum, demonstrators held up banners, waved Palestinian flags and chanted, "Free Palestine" and "Free Lebanon." On the sidelines of the demo, a participant also shouted into a megaphone: "On October 7 the revolution began."

The area was heavily guarded, with a helicopter flying over the zone.

On October 7, 2023, terrorists from the Palestinian militant organization Hamas and other extremist groups from Gaza launched a surprise attack on Israel. In the assaults by land, sea and air, they killed approximately 1,200 people and abducted about 240 to the Gaza Strip.