Thousands of anti-Israel activists protest against Italy Israel World Cup qualifier game

Thousands of anti-Israel activists protested on Tuesday against a FIFA World Cup qualifier game between Italy and Israel in the northern Italian city Udine. Italy won the game 3-0. While most of the protesters were reportedly peaceful, some protesters clashed with police officers. In addition, the Italian broadcaster RAI reported that one of its journalists had been injured by a stone and was transported to hospital for treatment. 

Udine Mayor Alberto Felice De Toni condemned the violence in the streets of the city. 

"What happened tonight is unacceptable. Our city strongly condemns the violence that took place in the streets at the end of the demonstration," De Toni stated.

The Committee for Palestine-Udine, which organized the demonstration, urged the global soccer organization FIFA to ban the Jewish state from all competitions, claiming that the team backed “occupation policies.” The demonstration’s slogan was “Show Israel the red card.” 

U.S. President Donald Trump declared on Monday a “historic dawn of a new Middle East” following the Gaza ceasefire and the return of the remaining 20 living Israeli hostages. 

Despite the ceasefire, the protesters in Italy still displayed hostility towardsIsrael. 

"There has been a ceasefire, but not peace. As I wrote on my placard, there can be no peace without justice," the demonstrator Valentina Bianchi argued without elaborating on what she meant by “justice.” 

Italy’s Soccer Federation revealed that only some 9,000 tickets were sold for the game against Israel, which was significantly less than the reduced capacity of 16,000. 

Located in northeastern Italy close to the Slovenian border, Udine is usually quiet city. However, many shops closed down early due to fears of damage and violence. Some residents expressed frustration over the tension in their normally peaceful city. 

"I saw helicopters flying over my head. I believe such a deployment of forces for a football match should never take place," the resident Paolo Lizzi argued. 

The conservative Italian government under Prime Minister Georgia Meloni has been generally friendly towards the Jewish state. However, there have been widespread protests in Italy against Israel and the Israeli military operations against Hamas in the Gaza Strip. 

Last month, anti-Israel rallies took place at 75 different localities across Italy. Tens of thousands of anti-Israel activists rallied in the capital Rome against what they termed “genocide in Gaza.” In the northern city of Milan anti-Israel activists caused widespread vandalism and destruction around the main train station. 

The Italian prime minister strongly condemned the violence and the riots, stressing that it did nothing to improve the situation in Gaza. 

"(This was) violence and destruction that have nothing to do with solidarity and will not change the lives of people in Gaza by a fraction, but will have concrete consequences for Italian citizens who will end up suffering and paying for the damage caused by these hooligans," Meloni said. 

In August, the Rome-based daily Il Tempo published an investigation that revealed strong relations between the terrorist organization Hamas and Italian left-wing parties that have played central roles in the anti-Israel rallies across the country. 

Many anti-Israel protesters in Italy are angry that the Italian government has so far refused to recognize a Palestinian state.

In July, Meloni explained why her government has so far not recognized the “State of Palestine.” 

“I am very much in favor of the State of Palestine, but I am not in favor of recognizing it prior to establishing it,” the Italian premier said. “If something that doesn’t exist is recognized on paper, the problem could appear to be solved when it isn’t."