On March 9, Saturday, peace and working-class groups in Italy organized a major mobilization in Rome demanding an immediate ceasefire in Gaza. In the march called by the Assisi Pace Giusta committee, various organizations participated including the Italian Network for Peace and Disarmament, the Italian General Confederation of Labor (CGIL), the Communist Refoundation Party (PRC), Union of University Students (UDU), and others. The groups demanded an end to Israel’s ongoing genocide in Palestine and called on the Italian and European governments to stop sending weapons to support wars.
Over 31,000 people have been killed in the over 150 days of Israel’s war on Gaza. Along with the bombardment of Gaza, Israeli forces continue to disrupt and block the delivery of aid to various parts of the enclave, and have also attacked aid trucks as well as Palestinian civilians seeking aid.
Leftist groups have also condemned the police crackdown on pro-Palestine demonstrations happening in various cities across Italy, including the one on school students in Pisa on February 23.
While addressing the mobilization in Rome on Saturday, Elena Mazzoni from the leadership of the Communist Refoundation Party (PRC) stated “Let’s stop all wars and arms exports! We defend the right to express our dissent to war policies and war economy. We want investments in health, education, and welfare, not weapons!”
The Communist Youth Front (FGC) accused the Five Star Movement and Democratic Party of being complicit with the Meloni government in sending Italian troops for military missions in the Red Sea.
“They are leading us to war with Yemenis, hypocritically calling it a ‘defensive’ mission—2000 km away from the Italian border. There is no real opposition in this country. It’s up to us to build it or they’ll drag us into the war,” added FGC.
Last week, major opposition parties in the Italian parliament including the Democratic Party (PD) and the Five Star Movement (M5S), supported the Giorgia Meloni-led right-wing coalition government’s decision to bolster Italian involvement in the European Union’s ASPIDES mission against the Ansar Allah’s naval blockade in the Red Sea against Israel.
Left groups in Italy have strongly condemned the Italian parliament’s approval of Italy’s active involvement in the military mission in the Red Sea against Ansar Allah’s naval blockade of Israel.
