Italians Demand Cancellation of Football Match With Israel in Solidarity With Palestine
Demonstrators call for World Cup qualifier to be canceled as nationwide strike sweeps across Italy.The Italian squad was not at the Coverciano training center on Friday but will be there on Monday
Italy, PUREWILAYAH.COM - Pro-Palestinian protesters gathered outside the gates of Italy’s national soccer team training center in Florence on Friday, demanding that an upcoming World Cup qualifier against Israel be canceled because of the war in Gaza.
The protest took place as part of a nationwide strike involving more than two million people across Italy, according to the country’s largest union. Demonstrators also reacted to an aid mission blocked by Israeli forces earlier in the week.
Call to Stop the Match
Italy is scheduled to host Israel in Udine on October 14. The UEFA governing body has reportedly been considering suspending Israel over the ongoing war.
The Italian squad was not at the Coverciano training center on Friday but will assemble there on Monday.
Protesters gathered peacefully on the opposite side of the street from the complex, holding a banner in Italian that read, “Let’s stop Zionism with the resistance.”
One protest leader shouted through a microphone:
“How can you still allow Israel, a Zionist and criminal state, to play soccer games?”
Protests Linked to Flotilla Hijacking
The protests followed Israel’s interception of the Global Sumud Flotilla, which had been sailing toward Gaza to deliver humanitarian aid.
Israeli naval forces detained the activists on board after seizing the flotilla in international waters, an action that has sparked demonstrations across Italy since Wednesday night.
Nationwide Strike and Clashes
On Friday, workers and students took to the streets after major unions called for a one-day general strike in solidarity with the Palestinians and the flotilla.
Highways were blocked, hundreds of trains were canceled or delayed, several domestic flights were disrupted, and many public and private schools closed.
Brief clashes were reported in Milan, where protesters blocking the city’s ring road threw bottles at police, who responded with smoke bombs.
Italy and Israel last met in Udine last October in the Nations League. That game went ahead without incident amid heavy police presence, despite a pro-Palestinian demonstration before kickoff. Italy won the match 4–1.
Source: Associated Press (AP)