On Tuesday, February 13th, 2024, lawmakers from the opposition parties held a flash mob outside Italy’s lower house calling for a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip.
The protest was staged while the Chamber of Deputies was voting on six different motions on the ongoing West Asia crisis.
Some lawmakers from the once anti-establishment Five Star Movement, the Italian left and Green Europe parties, and the Democratic Party, gathered in Parliament Square chanting that the Israeli bombardment of Gaza must stop now.
I think it’s time that we place our attention on what’s going on in the overcrowded Rafah, where the Israeli bombardments are ongoing; nearly 30,000 Gazans have been killed.
This is nothing less than a collective punishment; period.
Rachele Scarpa, Democratic Party Lawmaker
At the end of Tuesday’s vote, only a very weak motion was passed by the lower house.
The approved motion doesn’t acknowledge Israel’s genocide and doesn’t condemn the regime for its crimes.
It does, however, confirm the Italian suspension of funding to the UN Agency for Palestinian Refugees, UNRWA.
International law must be enforced.
After 40 years of UN resolutions, Israel must now comply.
It’s time to recognize Palestine as a state, first and foremost.
Stefania Ascari, Five Star Movement
Meanwhile, the bulk of Italian mainstream media continues to aid and abet Israel’s massacre in Gaza while marginalizing Palestinian voices.
At the weekend, during a National Song Contest, which brings tens of millions of viewers together, a rapper called for a stop to Israeli genocide during his appearance on stage.
The aftermath saw a flurry of condemnation by pro-Israel figures, as well as the Israeli ambassador to Italy, which led to apologies from the management of the national TV broadcaster, RAI.
Artists should be free to say what they think and journalist must be able to do their job.
Embassies should not meddle in our internal affairs.
We must stop the ongoing massacre in Gaza. That’s it.
Nico Stumpo, Democratic Party
Protests against the national broadcaster RAI’s decision to apologize to Israel have been held in Naples and Turin over the past few days.
During these protests, clashes between pro-Palestine activists and the police led to several injuries and numerous arrests.
