Tens of thousands of demonstrators marched through Barcelona on Saturday, with Spain, Italy, and Portugal organizing widespread protests to denounce Israel’s genocidal war in Gaza and show solidarity with Palestinians.
Protests in Spain's second-largest city as well as in Madrid were called for weeks ago, while calls for demonstrations in Rome and Lisbon followed widespread anger after the Israeli interception of a humanitarian aid flotilla that had set sail from Barcelona, trying to break the blockade of the Palestinian territory.
Italy already saw more than 2 million people rally on Friday across the country in a one-day general strike to support the residents of Gaza.
Pro-Palestinian demonstrators hold a placard with a picture of Italy's Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni reading "accomplice to genocide" during march to support the Palestinians and to protest against the interception of the Global Sumud Flotilla, near the Colosseum in Rome, Italy, Oct. 2, 2025. (AFP Photo)
Spain has seen an upsurge of support for Palestinians in recent weeks while its left-wing government intensifies diplomatic efforts against the far-right government of Benjamin Netanyahu. 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.
