Lots of marches, demonstrations and solidarity initiatives were called up in Italy in the last three days, in denounciation of the Israeli attack in the night between 30th and 31st May against the seven ships of humanitarian aid of the Freedom Flotilla, the barbaric murder of nineteen activists and the wounding of several others – activists which were headed to the Gaza Strip to provide relief to the Palestinian people, against Israeli blockage and state crimes.

In Bologna the antagonist collectives and committees of solidarity with Palestine gathered in the central Piazza del Nettuno just to start an unathorized parade addressing the heinous carnage, with hundreds – students, immigrants and precarious contract workers – pouring in. The 1500 people parade – which was opened by the big banner of the Laboratorio Occupato Crash autonomos social centre reading: “We, Global Flotilla of Solidarity: the Murderous State of Israel will not stop us!” – did go on blocking traffic in the city downtown and chanting such slogans as: “No “ifs” and no “buts”: everyone, let’s rally on the right side” and “Uprising people do write history, Intifada until victory!” The main targets of the demonstrators’ anger were the Sionist State and its international backers, from its hypocrite partner Western democracies to the local university, which cooperates with Israeli institutes in various rojects, even in the military. Those were addressed by hundreds of students from the Autonomous University Collective and the Autonomous Student Collective. The local Arab community as well attended in large numbers, chanting slogans in its own language and joining those against Shimon Peres, addressed as “Nobel for Genocide”.

All the antagonist collectives which took part in the protest issued communiques, addressing the countless attacks on the Palestinian people and its international network of comrades and friends and the complicity of Italian institutions, parties and media with the Israeli establishment.

They sweared to carry on their longstanding support of Palestinian cause, which led in the past years to strong events of international solidarity, such as the 2008 call against the invitation of Israel at the Turin Book Fair and the 2009 mobilization against the “Cast Lead” genocidal bombings on Gaza City.

Two days later, on June 2nd, this Bologna solidarity network issued yet another protest on Italian Republic Day, addressing the complicity of the Israeli Army with the Italian one and denouncing the latter’s role in oppressing such diverse countries as Afghanistan, Lebanon and Iraq and its unjustified claim to celebrate that.

Turin also was among the first cities to express active solidarity to the Flotilla: in the early afternoon, some ten hours after the attack, the call of the Autonomous University Collective and the Askatasuna and Murazzi Occupied Selfmanaged Social Centres was answered by several hundred people – among them being prominent names of Italian cultural scene such as the philosopher Gianni Vattimo – which gathered at the Faculty of Arts seat of Palazzo Nuovo. They poured thereafter into the streets, first moving towards the Italy-Israel friendship centre crying “Assassins!” underneath it, then reaching the municipality building – confronting and chasing away from there the fascist councilman Ghiglia, which did just prevent the city council issuing a formal condemnation against the slaughter by denying it his vote – and then ending the march in the multi-ethnical neighbourhood of Porta Palazzo, among the approval of its Italian and migrant residents.

In Rome an huge crowd began moving from Piazza Venezia till the Montecitorio seat of the Parliament, denouncing Israeli Defence Forces’ crimes. On their way, as they were passing through the Jewish ghetto, the demonstrators were confronted by police and a group of local people chanting “Israel, Israel”. Tension insued, but the demonstrators eventually managed to avoid falling for those provocations and reach their goal.

Solidarity initiatives also took place in Milan, with a two thousand people attendance, in Naples where on June 1st Palazzo Giusso (Università Orientale) was occupied by the Self-organized University Collective to denounce the massacre, and in Pisa and Modena, where the pickets called up by the antagonist spaces Newroz and Guernica turned into spontaneous marches.

Other demonstrations took place in Leighorn, Genoa, Novara, Bergamo, Grosseto, Padua, Parma, Pesaro, Treviso, Varese, and new ones are being announced for friday 4th in Turin and saturday 5th in Palermo.