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Europe sees protests, Palestinian flags in Italy and a Paris curfew
Protests accompanying a general strike in Italy on October 30 turned into clashes with police near Rome’s Colosseum and in Bologna, with Palestinian flags raised. Meanwhile, the Paris police prefecture announced a nighttime curfew in parts of central Paris until November 2, while shops in Germany covered their façades with wooden panels ahead of Saturday’s protests.
Protesters in Italy raised Palestinian flags during a nationwide general strike on October 30, while related demonstrations in Rome and Bologna turned into clashes with police. The unrest comes as a wave of protests spreads across Europe, with Paris announcing a nighttime curfew and shops in major German cities covering their façades with wooden panels.
Palestinian flags on Italy’s streets
The grassroots union USB called for the general strike, prompting marches in around 60 Italian cities. Participants carried Palestinian flags alongside union banners, expressing solidarity with Gaza, which has featured prominently in Italian trade union protests for months.
The demonstrations are part of an anti-government protest wave that has taken place in Milan, Bologna, Turin and Rome since early October. The government sent 500 soldiers to Milan to support police after two days of unrest.
Barriers near the Colosseum
In Rome, a group of around 300 people broke away from the main march near the Colosseum and threw bottles at police officers. They then built barriers from rubbish containers in the Celio district opposite the ancient amphitheater and set rubbish bins and electric scooters on fire.
Police stopped the march from advancing toward Ponte Sisto and detained eight people. Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said security remained guaranteed despite acts of violence committed by some groups.
Ring road blocked in Bologna
In Bologna, protesters blocked the city’s ring road. Roads leading to the A14 and A13 motorways were also closed for a time, and clashes broke out between union members carrying red banners and riot police.
Rome and Bologna also saw clashes during protests on October 24, when police used water cannons against demonstrators who attempted to march toward the prime minister’s office in Rome.
Nighttime curfew in Paris
In France, the Paris police prefecture announced a partial curfew from 23:00 to 06:00, effective from October 31 through November 2 around Place de la République and the Châtelet–Les Halles district. A separate curfew for minors will begin at 21:00.
French Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez warned of a “very high risk of violence in cities” on Saturday. Between 100,000 and 150,000 people are expected to take part in protests in Paris, while authorities rejected the route from Place de la Bastille to Place de la Nation and directed marches to the Marshals’ boulevards surrounding the city.
France will deploy 70,000 police officers and gendarmes across the country, marking the third consecutive Saturday of protests following demonstrations on October 17 and 24. More than 2,500 shops were looted and around 2,700 people detained during the October 17 protests.
German shops cover their façades
In Germany, luxury-brand shops on Berlin’s Kurfürstendamm covered their façades with wooden panels ahead of “Generation Z” protests scheduled for Saturday, October 31, which coincides with Halloween.
Shops on Jungfernstieg in Hamburg, Königsallee in Düsseldorf and in Frankfurt took similar measures, while jewelry stores in Hamburg announced that they would close on Saturday. Police said there were no indications of organized looting, while organizers reiterated their opposition to violence.
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