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Italian police on Saturday managed to intercept and prevent pro-Palestinian activists from interfering with a sacred Olympic tradition.
Italian police said pro-Palestinian activists had not been allowed contact with the first stages of the Milan Cortina winter Olympic torch relay.
The two groups of demonstrators were expelled before reaching the relay route in Rome, according to police.
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The Olympic flame is lit in Greece. (AP Photo/Thanasis Stavrakis)
A third group of around ten people, monitored by police, waved Palestinian flags as the relay passed in front of the city’s largest university, La Sapienza.
There were also three people carrying signs supporting Venezuela near the US embassy.
In October, more than two million demonstrators marched in more than 100 Italian cities to protest the war in Gaza.
Olympic swimming champion Gregorio Paltrinieri started the relay in the statue-lined Stadio dei Marmi and the flame was carried 20 miles before ending the day in Piazza del Popolo.
The relay will travel nearly 7,500 miles and travel through all 110 Italian provinces before reaching Milan’s San Siro stadium for the opening ceremony on February 6.
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Short track speed skater Jean-François Monette lights the Olympic flame at the Olympic Stadium in Montreal during the Olympic torch relay, December 9, 2009. (AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Paul Chiasson)
In total, there will be 10,001 torchbearers.
The next stages of the torch relay are Viterbo on Sunday and Terni on Monday.
Pro-Palestinian protesters disrupting sporting events have become increasingly regular over the past year, particularly sporting events involving Israeli teams.
Last month, several people were arrested during a football match in the United Kingdom which involved Israeli team Maccabi Tel Aviv. The team’s Israeli fans were not allowed to attend the match for security reasons, but unrest still broke out, with anti-Israel protesters nearby.
Several people were arrested during a football match United Kingdom which involved Israeli team Maccabi Tel Aviv. The team’s Israeli fans were not allowed to attend the match for security reasons, but unrest still broke out, with anti-Israel protesters nearby.
An Israeli cycling team has been excluded from an October race in Italy, the Giro dell’Emilia, due to fears of potential disruption. pro-Palestinian demonstrations. Organizers made the decision after protesters repeatedly disrupted the recent Spanish Vuelta.
Seven of the last 11 days of Vuelta racing were shortened or halted because the Spanish government estimated that more than 100,000 people were on the streets of Madrid during the final stage in September.
The protesters said their actions were aimed at denouncing the Israeli military campaign in Gaza following the deadly Hamas attack on Israel on October 7, 2023.
