Anti-Israel Protest At Italy Jewelry Fair Turns Violent

Following a protest against Israeli exhibitors at an international jewelry expo, demonstrators and police engaged in combat in Vicenza, Italy, today.

A planned march by hundreds of people, some holding signs that read “Free Palestine” and “Stop Bombing Gaza,” resulted in violence, which police responded to with water cannons and protesters brandishing smoke bombs and flares.

The Vicenzaoro Jewelry expo debuted on Friday and will run through Tuesday, with more than 1,300 exhibitors from nearly 40 countries, according to the organizers.

A representative declined to comment on Israel’s involvement at the show but told AFP that the fighting occurred many kilometers away and had no bearing on the event.

Giacomo Possamai, the mayor of Vicenza, stated that there was “no justification” for the violence.

a message shared on social media, he stated, “It also hurts the causes that it claims to support—it is a contradiction in terms to demonstrate for peace and a ceasefire through violence.”

About 1,140 Palestinians, largely civilians, lost their lives in an unprecedented attack on Israel on October 7 by the Islamist group Hamas, according to an AFP count based on official numbers.

Approximately 250 captives were also taken by militants; according to Israel, 132 of them are still in Gaza. An AFP count based on Israeli numbers puts the number of dead hostages at least 27.

The health ministry in Hamas-run territory reports that Israel, having vowed to destroy Hamas, has been carrying out a relentless air and ground offensive in Gaza that has killed at least 24,927 Palestinians, about 70% of whom were women, children, and adolescents.