Udine, Italy
Reuters
—
Thousands of pro-Palestinian demonstrators marched in the northern Italian city of Udine on Tuesday ahead of Italy’s World Cup qualifier against Israel, with clashes with police ending a largely peaceful protest.
The march, which according to preliminary police estimates had more than 5,000 participants, marched through the city center in the late afternoon before the match at Friuli Stadium, which Italy won 3-0, kicked off at 8:45 p.m. ET.
The organizer, the Palestine Udine Committee, called on FIFA, the world governing body for soccer, to expel Israel from all competitions, claiming that the Israeli team supports “occupation policies” in the Palestinian territories.
Demonstrators held up 18-metre-high Palestinian flags and large red banners with the demonstration slogan: “Show Israel the red card.” The metal statue, symbolizing justice, held a scale in one hand and a red card in the other.
“There was a ceasefire, but there was no peace. As I wrote on the placard, there can be no peace without justice,” said demonstrator Valentina Bianchi.
At the end of the march, some demonstrators threw firecrackers and crowd control barriers at anti-riot police, who responded with water cannon and tear gas.
State broadcaster RAI said in a statement that a reporter was taken to hospital after being hit by a stone. Ansa news agency reported that a second journalist was injured in the clash and some police officers were also treated.
Mayor Alberto Felice De Toni said: “What happened tonight is unacceptable. Our city strongly condemns the violence that took place in the streets at the end of the demonstration.”
Organizers pressed ahead with the protests even after Israel and the militant group Hamas agreed to a cease-fire agreement that included the release of surviving Israeli hostages and the return of Palestinian prisoners.
According to the Italian Football Federation, just over 9,000 tickets were sold for the game against Israel, far short of the reduced capacity of 16,000 tickets.
In Italy, where protests in recent weeks have raised fears of violence, some stores kept their shutters down all day, while others closed in the afternoon as protests began.
Local authorities issued a number of regulations, including road closures and parking restrictions, and erected concrete barriers around the stadium to create a security zone.
Serving food and drink in glass, ceramic or tin containers was prohibited on match days, and outdoor fixtures had to be removed from outdoor public facilities.
Some residents disliked the tight security atmosphere in the normally quiet town.
“I saw helicopters flying overhead. I don’t think there should ever be such a deployment of troops for a soccer match,” said resident Paolo Rizzi.
