Pro-Gaza protests in Europe denounce Sumud Flotilla hijack by 'Israel'
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Protests erupt across Europe in support of Gaza and the Global Sumud Flotilla, demanding an end to the genocide and the siege on the territory.
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Pro-Palestine demonstrators march in front of the Colosseum during a national demonstration in support of the population of Gaza, in Rome, Saturday, Oct. 4, 2025 (AP)
Activists across several European countries held demonstrations on Saturday to express solidarity with the Gaza Strip and to protest the arrests of the activists in the Global Sumud Flotilla aid mission.
In the UK, protests took place in London, with a major demonstration in Trafalgar Square condemning the ongoing war on the besieged enclave, leading to the arrest of several protesters by British police, including elderly individuals.
#DefendOurJuries
— Ayça Çubukçu (@ayca_cu) October 4, 2025
Trafalgar Square, LONDON NOW pic.twitter.com/zNooyCjWRy
Arrests made in Trafalgar
Additional protests were held in the same city to oppose the government's move to proscribe the group Palestine Action as a "terrorist organization".
At least six people were arrested in London protests rejecting the ban against Palestine Action.
— Al Mayadeen English (@MayadeenEnglish) October 4, 2025
Protesters expressed disdain against the arrest and the repression of these protests.#Palestine #Gaza #UnitedKingdom #London #PalestineAction #LatestNews #AlMayadeen pic.twitter.com/13yWz5eLZk
Police began arresting demonstrators at the silent vigil in support of the group.
Dozens of police were lined up to begin arresting members of the group, who were sitting silently on the pavement in the square.
Stood by Trafalgar Square this afternoon seeing hundreds attend the London Palestine Action / Pali protest as police makes multiple arrests pic.twitter.com/j12Fv4DyJY
— hussein (@zhusseinm) October 4, 2025
It comes as the chair of the Metropolitan Police Federation has claimed “enough is enough,” as she said officers policing protests in London were “emotionally and physically exhausted."
'It’s unconscionable'
One protester, Trudy Warner, a retired social worker from London, was holding a sign reading “Police find your love, find your conscience.”
She said she was focusing on the police because they were able to take action as individual officers and not participate in the mass arrests.
“I would love to think they could learn from us about the power of collective action and walk away instead of doing this because it’s unconscionable. It’s actually unconscionable.”
Streets in Spain, France filled
In Spain, demonstrations filled the streets of Barcelona, the capital of the Catalonia region, calling for an end to the genocide in Palestine.
“Huge protests have erupted in Barcelona in solidarity with Gaza, denouncing Israel’s war of genocide and starvation on the Strip. pic.twitter.com/ecfPzpmM6I
— PALESTINE ONLINE 🇵🇸 (@OnlinePalEng) October 4, 2025
Hundreds of demonstrators flooded the streets of Paris, France, waving Palestinian flags as they called for an end to the genocide perpetrated by "Israel", a cessation of all military aid to the country, and support for the project of establishing a Palestinian state.
At least 195,000 demonstrators rallied across France on Thursday to protest Israel’s interception of the Gaza-bound Global Sumud Flotilla. In Paris, multiple arrests were made when tensions escalated at night, and protesters faced off with police who deployed tear gas. pic.twitter.com/mGLBcwSFSB
— New York Post (@nypost) October 3, 2025
Italy sees widespread protests, strikes
Thousands of people across Italy, including in Rome, Milan, and Bologna, have taken to the streets to protest "Israel's" seizure of a Gaza-bound aid flotilla and the detainment of dozens of Italian nationals.
In Rome, an estimated 20,000 protesters, many of them students, marched with Palestinian flags and banners reading "Against Genocide". Similarly, large demonstrations were held in Milan, where organizers estimated a turnout of 50,000, and in Bologna, where over 10,000 people participated.
Italy general strike against the genocide in Gaza - huge demos everywhere (Rome 300k, Milan 150k, Bologna and Florence 100k each, Naples 80k, etc) 2 million in total- roads, railways, harbours all blocked - the power of the working class pic.twitter.com/Zvs7KxHJ9a
— Jorge Martin ☠(@marxistJorge) October 3, 2025
In response to these events, Italian trade unions called for a general strike, with the Unione Sindacale di Base (USB) declaring a nationwide strike for October 1, directly citing the reports of the aid flotilla being raided.
Further escalating the labor action, Italy's largest trade union, the CGIL, also made a declaration on October 26. The union stated that it would call for a general strike if the humanitarian flotilla to Gaza were to be blocked or attacked in the future, signaling a continued commitment to the cause.
'Israel' hijacked Sumud flotilla in international waters
On October 2, the Israeli Navy seized all 42 boats from the Global Sumud Flotilla, preventing life-saving humanitarian aid from reaching Palestinians in Gaza, as "Israel" sustained its illegal siege and engineered famine in the Strip.
Hundreds of participants from the flotilla were transported to the port of Isdud, where they were given the choice between voluntary deportation or undergoing legal procedures for forced repatriation to their home countries, according to a report by Israeli Kan military correspondent Itay Blumenthal.
According to a report from the flotilla organizers, more than 443 participants from 47 countries were illegally detained by Israeli authorities following the seizure of the fleet, which prompted it to call for urgent international intervention to ensure the safety of the volunteers and secure their immediate release.
Ben-Gvir takes swing at Netanyahu
Israeli Police Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir sharply criticized Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s decision to deport the activists of the Global Sumud Flotilla, who were detained while attempting to reach the Gaza Strip to break the blockade.
On October 3, while speaking to the press and describing Netanyahu’s decision to allow the flotilla participants to return to their countries as “a fundamental mistake", Ben-Gvir argued that the detainees should have been imprisoned in “Israel” for months.
“They should be kept in Israeli jails to smell the suites in which the terrorist prisoners are kept. Sending them back time after time only encourages their return," the Israeli far-right minister stated.
