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World Jewish News
Italy: Israel Flag Burnt, Government Condemns This Action
05.01.2009
In Milan, Italy, demonstrators who took part in the march against Israeli military operations in Gaza occupied the city's central square in front of the cathedral on Saturday evening and finished the campaign with a collective Muslim prayer.
According to police, the demonstrators - most of them immigrants of Arab descent and representatives of the Palestinian community - numbered no more than a thousand people. Nevertheless, they managed to create a mess in the city center, where a lot of shops with seasonal discounts are situated, as reported by ITAR-TASS news agency. In Milan, where anti-Israeli cries were heard, a flag of Israel was burned. This action was severely condemned by the representatives of Italian leadership. The Iraqis who participated in the demonstration held boots in their hands as a symbol of protest against the USA (an Iraqi journalist has recently thrown a shoe at the U.S. President George W. Bush during a press conference). Protest demonstrations in support of Palestine were held in other cities on the Apennines as well. In Rome, along with the slogans against Israel and the U.S., accusations of Hamas were also heard. The demonstrators carried posters saying: "Israel and the United States - Murderers", as well as the flags of both nations with swastika. Among the protesters there were a lot of women wearing veils. A spontaneous meeting was organized in Turin by the "Freedom for Palestine" Assembly. The few demonstrators assailed with eggs the building of the Italy-Israel Association headquarters, reported Vesti. In Bologna, a collective prayer at the square in front of one of the Catholic temples also took place.
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