Italian anti-Israel activists clash with cops outside Maccabi Tel Aviv basketball game

Italian police clashed with some 1,000 pro-Palestinian protesters Friday night outside a EuroLeague basketball game between Virtus Bologna and Maccabi Tel Aviv, which the visiting Israeli team lost 89 to 99.

Ahead of the game, the anti-Israel protesters gathered at Bologna’s Piazza Maggiore — dubbed Piazza Gaza by organizers — and marched in the direction of the PalaDozza arena, chanting “Zionists out of Bologna,” local media reported.

As the game began in the arena, which was secured by some 400 officers, the protesters outside tossed stones, set fire to trash cans and ignited firecrackers, while police in riot gear responded with smoke bombs and water cannon blasts, according to local media. Calm was restored within minutes, the reports said.

Footage from the scene showed protesters waving Palestinian flags and banners with anti-Israel slogans, including “show Israel the red card,” a phrase borrowed from soccer that is used worldwide to call for the suspension of Israel from sporting events due to the war against Hamas in Gaza.

On the ground were basketballs and soccer balls painted red with mock blood.

The game went ahead at the PalaDozza arena after days of domestic controversy, with Bologna Mayor Matteo Lepore calling for it to be held at a different time in a less central location due to the threat of protests, while Italy’s Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi ruled out a schedule change.

Maccabi-Virtus, bombe carta e idranti in centro a Bologna. I manifestanti hanno lanciato anche oggetti trovati nei cantieri #ANSA pic.twitter.com/6CcCdfmEGH

— Agenzia ANSA (@Agenzia_Ansa) November 21, 2025

Piantedosi, an independent civil servant considered close to hard-right Italian politician Matteo Salvini, had said ahead of the event that “it’s not the usual troublemakers who can dictate the agenda of events in Italy.”

Lepore, a member of the center-left Democratic Party — which currently sits in opposition to Italy’s right-wing national government — ultimately caved, saying, “It’s a dangerous game, but it will be played.”

He called on protesters “not to come and destroy the city, because it’s not good for the Palestinian cause or for peace.”

In October, British soccer club Aston Villa announced that no Maccabi Tel Aviv fans would be allowed at a Europa League soccer match following a police risk assessment citing “violent clashes and hate crime offenses” during a match in Amsterdam between Maccabi and local team Ajax last November.

Related: Maccabi Tel Aviv loses 2-0 in England match, with its fans banned and protests outside stadium

The decision sparked criticism, including from Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who set about trying to reverse the move, but the Israeli club later announced it would decline tickets for its fans anyway, citing safety concerns. Signs were placed near the stadium reading “No war games allowed” and “If you see a Zionist call the anti-terror hotline.”

Pro-Palestinian and anti-Israel protesters have disrupted numerous sports competitions in recent months, including a soccer World Cup qualifier in Udine, Italy, last month, and the Vuelta a España cycling race in Spain in September.

Calls for cultural and sporting boycotts on Israel have spiked amid the devastation of Gaza following the Hamas onslaught of October 7, 2023, which sparked the war.