An anti-Israel march in Rome that was part of a global collection of protests in support of Hamas turned violent Friday.
The news agency ANSA reported that Italian students involved in the protest changed the route that had been agreed to with Rome’s police, prompting the police to intervene.
Protesters threw eggs and smoke bombs at police, who fought back against the crowd in a series of violent confrontations.
Rome comme ici.#IsraelPalestineConflict #Israel #Palestine #Hamas #Gaza pic.twitter.com/6wYT1ZPXk6
— VadeRetroX (@vaderetrx) October 13, 2023
Clashes between pro-Hamas left-wing extremist students and the police at the Sapienza University in Rome. They want an Islamic revolt.#Israel #Hamas #Palestine #Palestinian #IronDome #Gaza #TelAviv #GazaUnderAttack #IsraelPalestineWar #Rome #Italy pic.twitter.com/gxIPbabBnN
— RestoringOurCulture (@MigrantsOut) October 10, 2023
Rome police beat Hamas supporters. pic.twitter.com/qNNytwEH2u
— RadioGenoa (@RadioGenoa) October 13, 2023
Community notes on social media claimed the encounter shown in the footage was a protest against a gathering of “right-wing youth,” but protesters were heard chanting slogans such as “Stop massacring Gaza. Stop the genocide, Free Palestine” and “This is anti-Zionist and anti-fascist Rome” and “Zionist Israel, fascist state,” according to Nova.
A former leader of Hamas had called for Friday to be a global “day of jihad,” leading to massive protests around the world.
Breaking News ???
France has banned Pro Palestinian protests and Berlin police arrested people for saying “Free Palestine.” ??
French Government Stands with Israel ??, while the stand of its citizens differ!
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#IsraelPalestineWar #HamasWarCrimes… pic.twitter.com/nSEgJEOZtg— Captain Bacteria (@CaptainBacteria) October 14, 2023
An Israeli flag was burned by pro-Palestinian protesters at a demonstration in Baghdad, Iraq#MiddleEastConflict #StayInformed #Palestine #Hamas #Gaza #Israel #IsraelPalestineWar #Gazagenocide pic.twitter.com/Kk1K5UrWyq
— ⚡NOW⚡ (@warinsightshq) October 13, 2023
In New York City, Hamas supporters burned an Israeli flag near the United Nations building, while Iraqis did the same in Baghdad, according to the New York Post.
Protests continued Saturday in cities such as London.
NEW: Thousands of pro-Palestine / anti-Israel protesters gather in London just one week after Hamas butchered innocent men, women and children.
Police are threatening to arrest anyone who shows support for Hamas.
Protests are beginning to turn violent in London as the police… pic.twitter.com/hXFtW1molV
— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) October 14, 2023
On Friday, Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani visited southern Israel and likened Hamas to the Islamic State and Nazi Germany, according to an Agence France Presse dispatch posted on Barron’s.
“Hamas is like ISIS, like the SS, like the Gestapo, they do the same things, they are terrorists, murderers and are using the Palestinian people as a shield, which is not right,” he said.
Amid worldwide support for Israel, progressive Rabbi Joel Simonds of Los Angeles is deploring the silence of the progressive left, according to NBC.
“In these last few days, the silence is deafening and it is hurtful and a betrayal on so many levels,” he said.
“It’s not going to change the way we look at justice,” Simonds said. “It’s going to change the way we look at our allies.”
Democratic Rep. Shri Thanedar of Michigan, who quit and renounced his membership in the Democratic Socialists of America over the group’s response to the attacks, said progressive groups need to examine themselves.
“There needs to be some soul searching about the extent of antisemitism within these groups such that these organizations are blinded to the worst form of terrorism,” he said. “No one should be supporting such a thing,” Thanedar said.
This article appeared originally on The Western Journal.