Protests in Italy in solidarity with the Gaza aid flotilla stopped by Israel continue unabated on Saturday, with large crowds gathering for a fresh demonstration in Rome.
The organizers spoke of several hundred thousand participants, but there are no official figures from the authorities.
Since the Israeli Navy stopped the Gaza flotilla, there have been protests in Italy on an almost daily basis.
People carrying banners and Palestinian flags took part in a march from Porta San Paolo to Porta San Giovanni, passing by the Colosseum. They shouted ‘Free Palestine’ and other slogans.
The Italian news agency ANSA reported that flags of the Islamist terrorist organization Hamas and the Lebanese Hezbollah militia were also waved during the march.
According to the report, some demonstrators also carried a banner with the slogan: “October 7 – Day of Palestinian Resistance.”
On October 7, 2023, Hamas and other extremists carried out an unprecedented massacre in southern Israel, leaving around 1,200 people dead.
On Friday, trade unions called for a general strike in solidarity with the Global Sumud Flotilla, the largest aid flotilla for Gaza to date.
Nationwide demonstrations attracted more than 2 million people, according to organizers. However, the Interior Ministry estimated the number of participants at just under 400,000.
The Israeli Navy intercepted the flotilla with more than 400 crew members from dozens of countries, including Swedish activist Greta Thunberg, and took them into custody,
According to the activists, they wanted to bring aid supplies to Gaza. Israel had offered to bring the aid supplies ashore via harbours outside Gaza and from there to the Palestinian coastal area. Activists rejected this saying they believe Israel’s Gaza blockade is illegal under international law.
People take part in a national demonstration called by movements associations and unions for Palestine and the Global Sumud Flotilla. Cecilia Fabiano/LaPresse via ZUMA Press/dpa
People gathered outside the Indiana Statehouse as part of another national demonstration critical of the current administration and President Donald Trump.
Indiana State Police estimated about 1,000 people attended the 2-hour protest on Labor Day. Organizers said only about 250 people officially registered online.
The volunteer-led 50501 movement — which stands for 50 protests in 50 states on 1 day — has organized several national protests since February. The group is responsible for the April 5 “Hands off!” demonstration and the June 14 “No Kings” protest. They collaborated with other organizations like Indiana Resistance Alliance for the Sept. 1, 2025 event, marching around the statehouse multiple times with chants.
The protest’s theme, “Workers over billionaires,” focused on keeping pressure not only on the Trump administration, but also on the billionaires who support or benefit from his policies.
Workers Over Billionaires nationwide protests
Around 1,000 people marched around the Indiana Statehouse downtown for the Labor Day protests against President Donald Trump and his administration on Sept. 1, 2025.
Labor unions and community activists gathered for mass protests on Labor Day, hoping to remind Americans of the power of the working class at a time when billionaires are playing an outsized role in national politics, according to USA Today.
Although signs in Indianapolis expressed different topics like deportation, the Epstein list, women’s rights, and even opposition to Nazism, Ryleigh Beckett, a leader with the 50501 movement, said the primary message was about labor rights.
‘It’s gonna get worse if we don’t do something…’
Around 1,000 people marched around the Indiana Statehouse downtown for the Labor Day protests against President Donald Trump and his administration on Sept. 1, 2025.
“We want to recognize the history that has come with Labor Day and how the Trump administration is dismantling a lot of the labor rights that we have fought and earned for with blood, sweat, and tears, namely the weakening of unions, which is a sign of fascism,” Beckett said.
John Steenbergen, 71, said he attended the protest because Trump is different from any president he’s seen in his 50 years of following politics. While he disagreed with Republican presidents like Richard Nixon and George W. Bush, he believed they cared about doing what they thought was best for the United States.But Trump is “cruel” and a “wannabe dictator,” Steenbergen said, pointing to the president’s mass deportation campaign as an example. The Indianapolis resident said he’s worried for his children and grandchildren.“It’s gonna get worse if we don’t do something about it,” he said.
Morrigan McCoy, 23, led the marches around the Indiana Statehouse and gave the introductory speech before the marches. He has strong opinions about Trump, including “attempts to gerrymander our election.”
Beckett said she feels in the current climate in Indiana, people feel isolated, but the new goal for the movement is to have people and organizations come together for a common goal and connect people with their neighbors.
“I think this is the beauty of American culture. We come from all different walks of life, and we may not know our neighbors’ points of view, but we come together and we see that we’re really not alone.”
The event, which was planned until 3 p.m., ended at 2 p.m. since another protest was planned on Monument Circle.
The protest was put together over the past week, organizers told IndyStar. A handful of people carried guns, a reference to the weapons the pro-Nazi protesters had carried, but most appeared unarmed.
“Left, right and center, I think we can all come together and agree that Nazis aren’t welcome in Indianapolis,” organizer Max Haddad said while speaking to the crowd.
Among the protesters was a family of four, including two children. Parents Andrew Bodiker and Steph Piercefield, who both wore firearms across their body, told IndyStar they came to the protest to support marginalized communities. The weapons, they said, served as a symbolic response to pro-Nazi protest.
“We’re just trying to stand up for everybody,” Piercefield said.
Jesse Kearly, another speaker, said the idea of using the Second Amendment was not popular, but it’s to show that they can protect themselves from people who might have ill intentions.
Jade Jackson is a Public Safety Reporter for the Indianapolis Star. You can email her at Jade.Jackson@IndyStar.com and follow her on X, formerly Twitter @IAMJADEJACKSON.Contact Marissa Meador at mmeador@gannett.comor find her on X at @marissa_meador.
