From Rome to Barcelona: Thousands attend pro-Palestinian demos

Thousands of people marched in Barcelona and Rome on Saturday for a second day of Italian protests against Israel's military campaign in the Gaza Strip.

The protests in Barcelona and Madrid were planned weeks ago, whilst the protests in Rome and later in the Portuguese capital of Lisbon were sparked by widespread anger after Israel intercepted a humanitarian aid flotilla aiming to break a naval blockade of Palestinian territory.

More than 300,00 people filled the streets of Barcelona, according to organisers. Other demonstrations were registered in various parts of the country. Police estimates put the number at around 70,000.

Spain has seen an upsurge of support for Palestinians in recent weeks while its left-wing government intensifies diplomatic efforts against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's far-right government.

Protests against the presence of an Israeli-owned cycling team repeatedly disrupted the Spanish Vuelta last month, while Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez called the destruction in Gaza a “genocide” and asked for the ban of all Israeli teams from international sporting events.

Italy already saw more than 2 million people rally on Friday across the country in a one-day general strike to support the Palestinians in Gaza.

The protest in Rome followed a route by the Colosseum. The organisers — three Palestinian organisations along with local unions and students — claimed that 1 million joined. There were no official estimates.

The protests in Madrid and Lisbon are to follow later on Saturday. There are also protests expected across many other Spanish cities.

Smaller rallies took place in Athens and Skopje, North Macedonia. Greek police believe a bigger gathering and march will take place Sunday to coincide with a pro-Israeli one.