In Italy, marches took place in Rome, Milan, Naples, Turin, and Genoa, during which thousands raised slogans rejecting the Israeli attack and demanding the release of detained activists.
Major labor unions, including the Italian General Confederation of Labor (CGT) and the metalworkers' unions FIOM and USB, announced a general strike on Friday in solidarity with the fleet passengers and to protest what they described as a "serious crime against Italian citizens." Local media reported that Transport Minister Matteo Salvini is considering restricting the scope of the strike.
In Tunisia, dozens of activists organized a protest in front of the capital's municipal theater. The protest was called by the "Coordination of Joint Action for Palestine." Protesters raised slogans condemning Israeli piracy and demanding that the flotilla be allowed to reach Gaza.
Activist Jawaher Shanna confirmed that 28 Tunisians were participating in the flotilla, and that their lives were "at stake." She called for a "global popular mobilization" to pressure the occupation.
In Mauritania, dozens of MPs gathered in front of Parliament in Nouakchott, waving Palestinian and Mauritanian flags and banners affirming "absolute support" for the flotilla's humanitarian mission. Mauritania is participating in the voyage with a ship carrying aid and a delegation including lawyers, doctors, and media professionals.
Protests also spread to Brussels, Barcelona, Istanbul, Berlin, Athens, and Paris, where large-scale nighttime demonstrations were held to denounce Israel's "hijacking" of the flotilla's ships and the arrest of activists from more than 45 countries.
The International Committee to Break the Siege on Gaza announced that the Israeli occupation forces stormed six ships, assaulted activists, and arrested dozens, while some of the ships were approaching the Gaza Strip's shores.
This is the first time a flotilla of approximately 50 ships and 532 civil society activists has set sail for Gaza, attempting to break the 18-year blockade that has left more than 1.5 million Palestinians homeless.
International organizations, including Amnesty International, also called for the protection of the "Resilience Flotilla," while the United Nations affirmed that any attack on it was "unacceptable."
Since October 7, 2023, Israel, with American support, has been committing genocide in Gaza, leaving 66,148 martyrs and 168,716 wounded, most of them children and women, and a famine that has claimed the lives of 455 Palestinians, including 151 children.
