Life has come to a standstill across Italy: every sector, from ports to railways, from schools to hospitals, has participated in the general strike called by the unions.

Today, Italy witnessed one of the largest demonstrations in recent years. A general strike was declared at the request of the grassroots unions USB, CUB, ADL, and SGB.

The main justification for the strike was the accusation that “the Italian government is complicit in the ongoing genocide by refusing to recognize the State of Palestine and selling large quantities of weapons to the Israeli army.”

The general strike paralyzed strategic sectors. Public transportation, railways, ports, schools, and healthcare services were brought to a standstill. The protests have been described as “the voice of the people against a government responsible for the killing of civilians.”

A Palestinian flag was at the center of the procession.

In at least 75 Italian cities, starting with Rome, Milan, and Naples, students and workers took to the streets to protest the war in Gaza, chanting pro-Palestinian slogans. In Rome, over 500 students marched from the early hours along Viale Trastevere to reach the demonstration at Termini station scheduled for 11 a.m.

In Livorno, thousands of protesters gathered at 6 a.m., slowing and blocking the flow of vehicles, cars, buses, and trucks entering and exiting the Valessini gate, one of the port’s customs entrances.

In Naples, students from some schools, mostly middle and high schools, skipped classes (on the very day of Sergio Mattarella’s visit to Naples for the inauguration of the school year) to take part in planned initiatives: thousands are participating in the march to City Hall. By mid-morning, thousands occupied the concourse of the central station. A group of protesters from grassroots unions stood on the tracks, causing a partial blockage of traffic. The blockade lasted about twenty minutes, after which they left the station, and traffic is gradually resuming.

In Turin, after blocking the entrances to the Einaudi Campus, university students crossed the city center and headed to Piazza Arbarello, where they joined high school students. They then proceeded to Piazza Carlo Felice, in front of the Turin Porta Nuova train station, where a demonstration organized by grassroots unions is planned for the strike in support of the Palestinian people.