Rome police ban 2 pro-Palestinian rallies scheduled for Oct. 5

By Baris Seckin

ROME (AA) – Italian police banned two pro-Palestinian rallies, which were scheduled to take place on Oct. 5 in Rome, due to public security concerns, local media reported on Wednesday.

The decision came after Tuesday’s meeting of the Public Order and National Security Committee, which was chaired by Interior Minister Matteo Pieantedo, state-run ANSA news agency reported.​​​​​​​

The demonstrations in Rome were scheduled two days before the first anniversary of the deadly October 7 attacks in Gaza last year.

In recent weeks, Italian media also announced that the country’s Jewish community and some right-wing politicians wanted rallies to be postponed.

Numerous demonstrations in support of Palestine have been held in Italy since last October.

However, pro-Palestinian rallies were banned on Jan. 27 due to the pressure from the Jewish community as the day coincided with International Holocaust Remembrance Day.

Despite the ban, thousands of people gathered in Rome, and protested both the demonstration ban and Israel’s attacks on Gaza.

Israel has continued its brutal offensive on Gaza since a cross-border attack by the Palestinian group Hamas last October, despite a UN Security Council resolution demanding an immediate cease-fire.

Nearly 41,500 people, mostly women and children, have since been killed and around 96,100 injured, according to local health authorities.

The Israeli onslaught has displaced almost the entire population of the territory amid an ongoing blockade that has led to severe shortages of food, clean water and medicine.

Israel faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its actions in Gaza.