European cities erupt in protest over Gaza blockade and humanitarian crisis

Tens of thousands of demonstrators took to the streets in Barcelona on Saturday, joining large crowds in Rome for a second day of protests across Southern Europe against Israel’s military campaign in Gaza.

In Spain, demonstrations were planned weeks in advance in Barcelona and Madrid, while rallies in Rome and later Lisbon followed widespread anger over Israel’s interception of a humanitarian aid flotilla that had departed from Barcelona in an effort to break the blockade of the Palestinian territory. Israel removed 450 activists from the flotilla, including over 40 Spaniards, among them a former mayor of Barcelona.

Italy witnessed over two million people participating in a one-day general strike on Friday, showing solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza. Spain has also seen a surge in support for Palestinians in recent weeks, with the left-wing government intensifying diplomatic pressure on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s far-right administration. Protests against the participation of an Israeli-owned cycling team disrupted the Spanish Vuelta last month. Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez described the destruction in Gaza as “genocide” and called for a ban on Israeli teams from international sporting events.

Hamas, meanwhile, has indicated acceptance of some elements of a peace plan outlined by US President Donald Trump aimed at ending the ongoing two-year war, which has left Gaza’s largest city in famine and prompted accusations of genocide against Israel.

Massive rally in Barcelona

Barcelona’s town hall estimated that around 70,000 people attended Saturday’s demonstration, filling the wide Passeig de Gracia, the city’s main boulevard. Families and people of all ages carried Palestinian flags, while hand-held signs displayed messages such as “Gaza hurts me,” “Stop the Genocide,” and “Hands off the flotilla.”

While protesters acknowledged that their demonstrations might not sway Israel’s government, many hoped to inspire further protests and pressure European leaders to adopt a firmer stance against Israel. María Jesús Parra, 63, traveled an hour from another town to join the rally. Waving a Palestinian flag, she urged the European Union to act against what she described as atrocities unfolding in Gaza. “How is it possible that we are witnessing a genocide happening live after what we experienced in the 1940s? Now nobody can say they didn’t know what was happening,” she said.

Rome protests criticize Meloni government

In Rome, the demonstration followed a route past the Colosseum, with organizers three Palestinian organizations along with local unions and student groups claiming participation of around 1 million, though no official estimates were available. At Piazza San Giovanni, protesters chanted in support of Francesca Albanese, the UN special rapporteur on the occupied Palestinian territories and a critic of Israel.

Despite organizers requesting that only Palestinian flags be carried, some banners praised militant groups Hezbollah and Hamas. One referenced the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attack on Israel, while others bore slogans such as “Death to the IDF,” according to Italy’s state broadcaster RAI. Opposition lawmaker Riccardo Magi of the centre-left Piu Europa party criticized Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s government for refusing to recognize a Palestinian state, urging diplomatic action for peace.

Protests expand across europe

Protests were also planned later Saturday in Madrid and Lisbon, with smaller gatherings reported in Athens and Skopje, North Macedonia. In Greece, police prepared to manage separate pro-Palestinian and pro-Israeli marches scheduled three kilometers apart to prevent clashes near the Israeli Embassy.

The war in Gaza erupted after Hamas’s attack in October 2023, which killed around 1,200 people and left 251 hostages. Israel’s retaliatory campaign has, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry, killed over 67,000 and wounded nearly 170,000. UN agencies and independent observers consider these figures among the most reliable estimates of wartime casualties.