From the Liveblog of
Saturday, January 20, 2024
Anti-Israel protest at Italy jewelry fair turns violent
VICENZA, Italy — Protesters clashed with police in the Italian city of Vicenza on Saturday after a demonstration against the presence of Israeli exhibitors at an international jewelry fair.
Police used water cannon against demonstrators who fired smoke bombs and flares after violence erupted after a planned march by hundreds of people, some holding up banners saying “Free Palestine” and “Stop Bombing Gaza.”
More than 1,300 exhibitors from almost 40 countries are showing at the Vicenzaoro fair, which opened on Friday and runs until Tuesday, according to organizers.
A spokesperson tells AFP the clashes took place several kilometers away and had no impact on the event, while declining to give information on the Israeli presence at the fair.
Vicenza mayor Giacomo Possamai says there was “no justification” for the violence.
“It also hurts the causes that it claims to support — it is a contradiction in terms to demonstrate for peace and a ceasefire through violence,” he says in a statement posted on social media.
