Italy bans anti-Israel October 7 demonstration in Bologna, citing risk of unrest

Organizers pledge to press on with rally, which was nixed following clashes at last week’s protests; Milan Jews to mark 2nd anniversary of Hamas massacre with low-profile memorial

By Reuters and ToI Staff 6 October 2025, 11:53 pm

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Anti-Israel demonstrators wave Palestinian flags as they gather at San Giovanni Square in Rome, Italy, on October 4, 2025, at the end of a march calling for an end to the war in Gaza. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)

Authorities in the northern Italian city of Bologna have banned an anti-Israel demonstration planned for Tuesday, citing the risk of unrest, following days of protests and clashes with police across Italy, a local representative of Italy’s Interior Minister said.

The Giovani Palestinesi (Palestinian Youth) Italia group had scheduled the pro-Palestinian protests in the cities of Bologna and Turin to mark two years since thousands of Hamas-led terrorists stormed southern Israel to kill some 1,200 people and take 251 hostages, sparking the war in Gaza.

“The demonstration will be absolutely prohibited,” Enrico Ricci, the local prefect in Bologna, told reporters, as local authorities fear possible clashes after violence flared in Rome at the weekend.

Giovani Palestinesi confirmed on Instagram that they planned to try to press ahead with a gathering despite the ban.

Israel’s ambassador to Italy, Jonathan Peled, had protested against initiatives “that seek to glorify the October 7 massacre and successfully worked with Italian authorities to cancel the event,” the Foreign Ministry said on X.

Hundreds of thousands of people marched through central Rome on Saturday for the fourth straight day of protests in Italy since Israel intercepted the Global Sumud Flotilla, which sought to challenge Israel’s years-long naval blockade on the Gaza Strip.

Pro-Palestinian, anti-Israel demonstrators sit down on a highway in front of police officers during a protest in Milan, Italy, against Israel’s interception of the Gaza-bound Global Sumud Flotilla, on October 3, 2025. (Stefano RELLANDINI / AFP)

The Jewish community in Milan has opted for a low-profile commemoration of the anniversary of the Hamas attack.

“We will be in a city square, protected by law enforcement. We will meet among ourselves, but for public order reasons, police have forbidden us from announcing the location,” Davide Romano, director of the Jewish Brigade Museum, was quoted as saying by daily la Repubblica.