Hundreds of thousands of people took to the streets across Europe over the weekend, calling for an end to Israel’s war on Gaza and the release of activists detained from a humanitarian flotilla intercepted by Israeli forces earlier this week.
In Rome, local police estimated that around 250,000 demonstrators filled the streets on Saturday in what has become the fourth consecutive day of protests in Italy’s capital. The marchers, many carrying Palestinian flags and wearing traditional black-and-white keffiyehs, chanted slogans such as “Free Palestine,” “Stop the genocide,” and “We are all Palestinians.” Families, students, and pensioners joined the rally, demanding international action to end what they described as the collective punishment of Gaza’s population.
The protests erupted after Israel halted the Global Sumud Flotilla, a convoy of 45 boats that departed Barcelona in early September in an attempt to breach the Israeli blockade of Gaza. The flotilla’s organizers said it carried humanitarian supplies for civilians trapped in the besieged enclave.
According to Spain’s Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares, about 50 Spanish nationals aboard the flotilla were detained by Israeli authorities following the interception.
In Barcelona, police estimated crowds of 70,000, while the Spanish government said nearly 92,000 people marched in Madrid. Demonstrators in both cities waved banners demanding the flotilla members’ release and urging the international community to act against what they described as a deepening humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza.
“The policy of Israel has been wrong for many years,” said Marta Carranza, a 65-year-old pensioner marching in Barcelona with a Palestinian flag draped across her shoulders. “We have to make our voices heard.”
Across Ireland, several thousand joined a rally in Dublin marking what organizers called “two years of genocide” in Gaza. Speakers demanded sanctions on Israel and the inclusion of Palestinians in any future ceasefire negotiations. Ireland and Spain have been among the most outspoken European critics of Israel’s military campaign.
In London, police reported at least 442 arrests during a rally expressing solidarity with Palestine Action, a group banned under Britain’s anti-terror laws.
Meanwhile, Paris saw roughly 10,000 protesters gather in the city center. Addressing the crowd, Hélène Coron, a spokesperson for the French delegation of the Sumud Flotilla, vowed to continue their efforts: “This flotilla didn’t reach Gaza, but we will send another—and another—until Palestine and Gaza are free.”
In Italy, Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s right-wing government faced mounting criticism for its perceived inaction over the Gaza siege. Meloni condemned demonstrators who allegedly defaced a statue of Pope John Paul II during the Rome rally, describing the incident as “shameful.”
The weekend protests follow a series of large-scale actions across Europe. In mid-September, roughly 100,000 demonstrators in Madrid forced the suspension of the final stage of the Vuelta a España cycling race after an Israeli team’s participation sparked outrage. Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has since called for Israel to be excluded from international sporting events, likening its treatment to that of Russia following its invasion of Ukraine.
Spain also announced in September that it would ban imports from Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank, which are considered illegal under international law.
Despite the interception of the flotilla, organizers and supporters across Europe vowed to sustain the movement. As Coron told the Paris crowd, “We will never stop until Gaza is free.”
