Oct. 3 Pro-Palestine Protest & Strike

 

Florence woke up on Friday, October 3 to the sounds of 30,000 demonstrators (including the governor of Tuscany) condemning the Israeli attacks in the Gaza Strip and in favor of the diplomatic recognition of a Palestinian state.  Concurrently, transport workers (train, bus and tram) are striking from 2:30 pm to midnight.  Another goal of the protest is to call attention to the fact that the Flotilla — 41 ships bringing food and medicines to Palestinian people, were seized by Israeli soldiers in international waters 70 miles from Gaza.  The passengers — 46 are Italians including four members of the Italian parliament and climate activist Greta Thunberg — are being detained before returning to their home countries.

The starting point for the demonstration was the Fortezza da Basso, with the protestors marching to piazza delle Cure, ending at the Artemio Franchi stadium in Campo di Marte.  Many students are participating.

Streets leading to Tuscany’s port of Livorno has been blocked off by protesters as well, who also stopped traffic on the FiPiLi highway leading to the coast and blocked the runways at the Pisa Airport.

On the evening of October 2, the Florence station was completely taken over by a group of students who met in piazza Indipendenza to stand on the tracks in order to stop train arrivals and departures.