October 2, 2025 | 12:43 pm
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Pro-Palestinian activists staged protests across several European cities on Wednesday night, as reported by Anadolu, in response to the Israeli military's interception of the Global Sumud Flotilla, a fleet carrying humanitarian aid to Gaza, Palestine.
In Rome, hundreds of demonstrators, including students and grassroots union members, gathered at Piazza dei Cinquecento in front of Termini Station. Protesters blocked traffic in the square and surrounding streets, chanting slogans such as, "Let’s block everything for the Flotilla and for Palestine."
Italian police subsequently closed several metro stations and restricted access to Termini Station. The demonstrators planned a march toward Piazza Barberini involving roughly a thousand participants.
The action prompted Italian labor unions, including Unione Sindacale di Base (USB) and Confederazione Generale Italiana del Lavoro (CGIL), to call for a national general strike on Friday, October 3, 2025.
Elsewhere, hundreds of people gathered outside the Israeli consulate in Barcelona to condemn the interception and express solidarity with Gaza.
Similar demonstrations took place in Berlin, Germany, where dozens protested at the Central Station. In Brussels, activists marched from Place de la Bourse to the Belgian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Hundreds more were expected to hold protests in London, England, on Thursday, October 2, 2025.
The International Committee to Break the Siege on Gaza (ICBSG) confirmed that the Israeli forces boarded the main ships, Alma and Sirius, after Israeli warships blocked communication and ordered the convoy to change course.
Activists on social media uploaded videos confirming the approach of the naval vessels.
The fleet, predominantly laden with humanitarian and medical supplies, began its voyage at the end of August. Under standard conditions, it was projected to reach the shores of Gaza on Thursday morning.
This marks the first time in several years that a coalition of nearly 50 ships sailed collectively toward Gaza, carrying 532 civilian supporters from over 45 nations toward the territory inhabited by 2.4 million Palestinian residents, who have been living under an Israeli naval blockade for approximately 18 years.
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