Thousands protest in Italy and Spain over Middle East wars and judicial reforms

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Thousands protested Saturday against wars in the Middle East and against judicial changes proposed by Italy’s conservative government, linking international tensions with a widening domestic political dispute as a national referendum approaches, the Associated Press reported.

In Rome, demonstrators waved red trade union banners and Palestinian and Cuban flags during a rally that ended peacefully. Protesters chanted “Meloni government, resign,” in a scene that, according to AP, reflected mounting pressure on Italy’s conservative leadership.

The referendum is scheduled for March 22–23 and concerns changes to the judicial system. AP said the vote has become a major political test for Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s government, which faces an election next year, and that debate over the legal reforms has escalated into a broader confrontation between Meloni and her political opponents.

Demonstrator Sandra Paganini said, “The United States and Israel are destroying any form of coexistence dictated by international law.” She added that the conflict was pushing Europe toward “a world war in which they are targeting completely innocent people who have done nothing wrong, intervening and destroying nations,” in remarks AP reported during the Rome protest.

Meloni, by contrast, said the reforms are needed to tackle chronic delays in Italy’s courts and restore public confidence in the legal system. AP reported that opponents argue the changes could weaken judicial independence and make judges subject to political influence.

AP said the referendum has increasingly taken on the character of a test for Meloni personally, noting that she joined the campaign directly this week. At a campaign 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.”

Outside Italy, AP reported that anti-war demonstrations also took place across Spain on Saturday, with rallies 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.

Earlier in the week, AP said, additional anti-war protests took place in Athens and other cities across Greece, with demonstrations described as part of a broader wave that has grown since large-scale U.S. and Israeli air attacks on Iran targeting military sites and senior leaders began Feb. 28 and were followed by retaliatory strikes that shook global markets.