Italy bans pro-Palestinian October 7 demonstration in Bologna as tensions rise

MILAN: Authorities in the northern Italian city of Bologna have banned a pro-Palestinian demonstration planned for Tuesday, citing the risk of unrest, following days of protests and clashes with police across Italy, a local representative of the Interior Minister said.

The Giovani Palestinesi (Palestinian Youth) Italia group had scheduled demonstrations in the cities of Bologna and Turin to mark the second anniversary of a Hamas attack in Israel that killed 1,200 people.

"The demonstration will be absolutely prohibited," Enrico Ricci, the local prefect in Bologna, told reporters, as local authorities fear possible clashes after violence flared in Rome at the weekend.

Giovani Palestinesi confirmed on Instagram that they planned to try to press ahead with a gathering despite the ban.

Israel's ambassador to Italy, Jonathan Peled, had protested against initiatives "that seek to glorify the October 7 massacre and successfully worked with Italian authorities to cancel the event," Israel Foreign Ministry said on X.

Hundreds of thousands of people marched through central Rome on Saturday for the fourth straight day of protests in Italy since Israel intercepted an international flotilla trying to deliver aid to Gaza, and detained its activists.

The Jewish community in Milan has opted for a low-profile commemoration of the anniversary of the Hamas attack.

"We will be in a city square, protected by law enforcement. We will meet among ourselves, but for public order reasons, police have forbidden us from announcing the location," Davide Romano, director of the Jewish Brigade Museum, was quoted as saying by daily la Repubblica.