Thousands of protesters staged anti-war demonstrations in Italy and Spain on Saturday, linking tensions in the Middle East with a looming referendum on changes to Italy’s judicial system.
In central Rome, marchers waved red trade union banners and displayed Palestinian and Cuban flags as they chanted “Meloni government, resign” before the rally ended peacefully.
Protesters’ speeches also focused on the Middle East conflict. Sandra Paganini said, “The United States and Israel are destroying any form of coexistence dictated by international law,” and added, “They are dragging us towards a world war in which they are targeting completely innocent people who have done nothing wrong, intervening and destroying nations.”
The March 22–23 referendum on changes to the judicial system has become a major political test for Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s government, which faces an election next year. The debate over legal reforms has escalated into a broader confrontation between Meloni and her political opponents.
Meloni has said the judicial changes are needed to tackle chronic delays in Italy’s courts and restore public confidence in the legal system. Opponents, however, argue the reforms could weaken judicial independence and make judges subject to political influence.
AP reported that the referendum has taken on the character of a political test for Meloni, and that she joined the campaign directly this week. In a speech in Milan on Thursday, Meloni said, “If justice doesn’t work, if it’s slow, if it’s inefficient, if it’s unfair, then the whole machine gets stuck and everyone pays the consequences.”
Anti-war protests have surged since the launch on Feb. 28 of large-scale U.S. and Israeli air attacks on Iran targeting military sites and senior leaders, AP reported. The attacks were followed by retaliatory strikes that shook global markets, according to the report.
Demonstrations also took place across Spain on Saturday, organized in dozens of cities by a coalition of civic groups calling for an end to the conflict in the Middle East. In Madrid, thousands chanted slogans against the war and expressed solidarity with civilians affected by the conflict.
Additional protests took place earlier this week in Athens and other cities across Greece. Derek Gatopoulos reported from Athens, Greece.