Protests erupt across Europe after Israeli attack on Gaza-bound aid flotilla
Mass protests broke out in Rome, Barcelona, Berlin, Brussels, London, and across Latin America after Israel intercepted the Global Sumud Flotilla, with activists demanding freedom for detainees and aid access to Gaza.
Pro-Palestinian activists staged protests on Wednesday across Europe following Israeli forces attacked the Global Sumud Flotilla.
In Rome, hundreds of demonstrators, including students and grassroots union members, gathered at Piazza dei Cinquecento in front of Termini Station.
Participants blocked traffic in the square and surrounding streets, chanting slogans such as "Let’s block everything for the Flotilla and for Palestine."
Police closed several metro stations and restricted passenger access to Termini Station. Protesters planned to march toward Piazza Barberini with around a thousand participants.
Italian trade unions, Unione Sindacale di Base (USB) and Confederazione Generale Italiana del Lavoro (CGIL), called a nationwide general strike on Oct. 3.
In Barcelona, several hundred people gathered outside the Israeli consulate to denounce the interception and express solidarity with Gaza.
Similar demonstrations were reported in Berlin, where dozens gathered at Central Station to protest the Israeli attack, and in Brussels, where protesters marched from Place de la Bourse toward the Belgian Foreign Ministry.
Hundreds of people are also expected to hold a protest in London on Thursday.
Thousands of people demonstrated in several Latin American cities on Wednesday over the Israeli Navy’s interception of the Gaza-bound Global Sumud Flotilla.
Protests took place in Mexico City, Bogota, Buenos Aires, and Montevideo, among other locations.
In Bogota, a group of demonstrators gathered in front of the National Business Association of Colombia (ANDI), which represents the country's private sector. The location was chosen after the Global Movement to Gaza accused the organization on its X account of having "direct ties to Israel's economic mission in Colombia." The association later issued a statement rejecting the accusation.
In Argentina's capital, Buenos Aires, hundreds of people participated in a protest, according to local media reports. Demonstrators denounced what they called an "assault by the Israeli occupation forces" and demanded an end to the genocide in Gaza.
“We are here today to demand the freedom of our comrades and the flotilla, and to ensure that humanitarian aid and food reach Gaza,” said a protester.
Protests also took place in Uruguay’s capital, Montevideo, where activists chanted for Palestinian freedom and held signs calling for the imprisonment of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Organizers of the Global Sumud Flotilla said the interception occurred as Israeli warships blocked communications and moved to halt the convoy. The International Committee for Breaking the Siege on Gaza (ICBSG) confirmed that Israeli forces stormed the ships Alma and Sirius.
Several activists posted videos on social media confirming that Israeli naval boats approached the convoy and ordered them to change course.
The flotilla, loaded mainly with humanitarian aid and medical supplies, set sail at the end of August and was expected to reach Gaza’s coast on Thursday morning under normal circumstances.
This marked the first time in years that around 50 ships have sailed together toward Gaza, carrying 532 civilian supporters from over 45 countries to the enclave of 2.4 million Palestinians that has been under Israeli blockade for roughly 18 years.