General strike for Gaza, violent clashes in Milan. Meloni: unworthy images, all condemn

More than a dozen protesters were arrested in connection with today's riots during the pro-Gaza demonstration, where some 60 members of the security forces were injured or bruised, of whom 23 have already been taken to hospital and certified.

"Indignant are the images arriving from Milan: self-styled 'pro-pal', self-styled 'antifa', self-styled 'pacifists' who ravage the station and provoke clashes with the Police Forces. Violence and destruction that have nothing to do with solidarity and that will not change the lives of people in Gaza one iota, but will have concrete consequences for Italian citizens, who will end up suffering and paying for the damage caused by these hooligans. A thought of closeness to the Police Forces, forced to suffer the bullying and gratuitous violence of these pseudo-manifestants. I hope for clear words of condemnation from the organisers of the strike and from all the political forces,' writes Premier Giorgia Meloni on social media.

"What is happening is truly unbelievable, it has nothing to do with helping the Palestinian population and the right to strike. Attacking the police, blocking stations and ports, putting tourists on the run, these are criminal, unacceptable acts. All of this is deplorable and does not help the commitment to support the Palestinian people and peace," said Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani on the violence in pro-Palestinian demonstrations.

"We will prevent it from happening again and we will ask for bail from those who organise marches and demonstrations, in case of damage they will pay out of their own pockets," League leader and Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini told Tg1 after the clashes in today's pro-Gaza demonstrations.

Hard condemnation also from the interior minister. "There are bruised people" and "also people detained" for the riots at the demonstrations for Gaza. "The cause of the war conflicts that are for the world, Russian-Ukrainian and Israeli-Palestinian above all, is so noble that it should not be wasted and soiled by the actions of a few but in important numbers troublemakers, people who try to seize the general sensitivity on this issue as an opportunity to do the usual acts of pure and simple violence. What happened in Milan is there for all to see: a deliberate violent attack on the police force'. Thus the head of the Viminale, Matteo Piantedosi.

Strong condemnation also from the centre-left. "Meloni calls on all political forces to condemn the events in Milan. I have no difficulty in condemning the devastation of the station and the wounding of 60 officers. We have always condemned all forms of political violence because we never consider it justifiable and it has never been our method. But we cannot accept that the violence of a few hundred should cover the tens of thousands who peacefully demonstrated. Because while we always condemn violence we are still waiting for you to condemn Netanyahu's crimes, instead of doing and saying only what suits Trump and Netanyahu," said PD secretary Elly Schlein.

"Today thousands and thousands of citizens took to the streets to say stop genocide. Of course we condemn the acts of violence. We condemn them firmly as well as show solidarity with the officers who were injured. But beware: the government should focus on what is a widespread cry for a stop to genocide,' said 5-star leader Giuseppe Conte. Earlier, a more nuanced note from the M5s had come out: 'The 5 Star Movement stands by those who today went on strike and took to the streets all over Italy, from North to South, renouncing a day's salary or sacrificing a day's work, to show solidarity with Palestinian civilians and oppose the genocide perpetrated by Netanyahu in Gaza. It was a human tide that gave a clear signal to this government: no more lip service, Italy stands against the genocide. We condemn the violent gestures of a few troublemakers, but we believe they should not obscure the reasons for a huge, peaceful mobilisation, which gave back the thoughts of a country that does not want to remain silent in the face of what is happening. The M5S, with its parliamentarians, its elected representatives, its activists, took part in this democratic march. It is time for the government to listen to the reasons of the squares.

Manifestanti entrano in Stazione Centrale Scontri con la polizia dopo la il corteo per sciopero a sostegno della Palestina, scontri in stazione Centrale Milano - Italia - Cronaca Lunedì, 22 Settembre, 2025 (Foto di Marco Ottico/Lapresse)

"Today's vandalism, caused by violent fringes, cannot be justified and certainly does not help the cause of Gaza". This is how Milan Mayor Giuseppe Sala comments on what is happening in the city, with the clashes between demonstrators and police forces. 'In recent weeks there have been many demonstrations in Milan in defence of the Palestinian cause, always in a peaceful manner,' he concludes.

 At Bologna the procession for Gaza, organised by grassroots unions and students, entered the ring road and effectively blocked it. Some demonstrators also entered the highway with smoke bombs and flags, interrupting traffic. The police garrison located halfway along via Stalingrado opened up and let the demonstrators through, amidst the cheers of joy of the procession, which, escorted by the police, reached the ring road. The police then tried to clear the motorway and the Bologna ring road, occupied by the procession for Gaza. The police threw smoke bombs and fired water cannons at the demonstrators, who retreated and scattered on the various carriageways of the motorway, .

After three hours in front of the tollgate of the commercial port, the procession of at least 15,000 people in Marghera tried to advance to access the infrastructure. The police opened water cannons against the demonstrators a few metres before the two fronts came into contact, then started to advance. Some demonstrators responded by throwing a few bottles, before starting to back away shouting 'fascists'. Then the procession slowly began to leave the entrance to the port.

As far as the railway sector is concerned, the strike has been announced by the staff of the FS Group with Trenitalia (with the exception of Calabria), but also Italo and Trenord employees will cross their arms. The strike started at midnight and will last until 11pm on Monday..

The mobilisation in maritime transport will still last 24 hours but in various ways.

For local transport, the usual guarantee bands are envisaged, with different arrangements from city to city. In Rome from 6 to 9 a.m. and from 6 to 9 p.m.; in Milan Atm lines may not be guaranteed from 8.45 a.m. to 3 p.m. and from 6 p.m. until the end of service. Numerous demonstrations have been called in various Italian cities: in Rome, Milan, Bologna, Naples, Genoa. Sit-ins and garrisons also in Turin, Florence, Ancona, Bari and Palermo.

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"There are now more than 60 demonstrations planned in Italy for the general strike day of Monday 22 launched by Usb: a mobilisation that continues to grow in these hours, with numbers that will be unprecedented in Italy". Noting this in a note, the Union of Basic Trade Unions explains that 'on 22 September, everyone will be able to take to the streets to break all collaboration with the state of Israel, to defend Gaza and stop the genocide, to say no to the race for rearmament and war, alongside the Global Sumud Flotilla that has started in these hours. Let's block everything, with Palestine in our hearts,' urges Usb. "It will be a big day of mobilisation and general strike - underlines Guido Lutrario of the Usb union - all workers will be able to join, even those linked to other trade unions. It is time to take action to support the Palestinian resistance and the crews of the Global sumud flotilla that left on 19 September from Sicily'.

Today's strike was called 'by a basic, extreme left-wing union. The latest adhesion is below 7%', on high-speed trains 'only one train has been cancelled' while on regional trains there is a '25% blockage of the service', said the Minister of Infrastructure and Transport, Matteo Salvini, at the microphones of Rtl 102.5.

'Next week,' he recalled, 'there are 44 strikes scheduled, 23 national ones on which we cannot intervene, 21 local ones'. However, he reiterated, 'the numbers are down compared to all the last strike conditions. Let's make sure,' he said, 'that everything is proclaimed according to the regulations in force,' but we need 'to reason together, in a proactive sense, on the revision of the regulations. No one wants to touch the right to strike, but a reflection must be made'.

is inconveniences also in local public transport. The strike for Gaza has been called by Usb Lavoro Privato and Orsa Trasporti. The service will be guaranteed in the legal bands, from the beginning of the daytime service at 8.29 a.m. and from 5.00 p.m. to 7.59 p.m. Modalities that apply to the Atac network and the network operated by Cotral. The strike will also affect the peripheral transport networks, i.e. the workers of Autoservizi Troiani/Sap; Autoservizi Tuscia/Bis, Atr and the connections carried out on behalf of Atac by other sub-contracted operators.

Four out of five metro lines in Milan remain open. The only closed line is the M4. The abstention from work of the Atm employees will take place at the usual times, from 8.45 a.m. to 3 p.m. and from 6 p.m. to the end of the service. In the city - where it has been raining, at times intensely, since last night - a procession will be held from Piazzale Cadorna to the Central Station. Due to the manfest, explains the Azienda Trasporti. bus and tram routes may be diverted, interrupted or slowed down.