Italy: Pro-Palestinian rally in Rome marks Nakba anniversary, backs Gaza aid flotilla.

SHOTLIST: ROME, ITALY (MAY 16, 2026) 1. PROTESTERS HOLDING GIANT PALESTINIAN FLAG WHILE MARCHING 2. VARIOUS OF PROTESTERS CHANTING SLOGANS, CARRYING PALESTINIAN FLAGS, SIGNS AND BANNERS, AND DELIVERING SPEECHES 3. VARIOUS OF PROTESTERS MARCHING THROUGH ROME STREETS, CHANTING SLOGANS AND HOLDING PALESTINIAN FLAGS 4. PROTESTER MARIELLA CATARUZZA SPEAKING TO REPORTER 5. PROTESTERS HOLDING LARGE BANNER WITH MESSAGES “FREE ALL PALESTINIAN PRISONERS,” “STOP GENOCIDE,” “FREE PALESTINE” 6. PROTESTER LORENZO LIBERO SPEAKING TO REPORTER 7. PROTESTER SONIA RUSSINO SPEAKING TO REPORTER ROME, ITALY - MAY 16, 2026: Thousands of protesters marched through central Rome on Saturday to mark the 78th anniversary of the Nakba and to express support for the Global Sumud Flotilla, which had set sail to deliver humanitarian aid to Gaza before being intercepted by Israel in the Mediterranean Sea. The demonstration began at Piazza dei Cinquecento, with participants carrying Palestinian flags and banners bearing messages such as “Stop Genocide,” “Free Palestine,” and “Free All Palestinian Prisoners.” Demonstrators chanted slogans during the march and voiced opposition to Israeli military actions in Gaza and the occupied West Bank, while also expressing support for the Gaza-bound aid flotilla. A protester, Mariella Cataruzza, told Anadolu she felt a duty to attend the rally, saying it was important not to forget Gaza and the Palestinian people, as well as all oppressed people facing powerful forces around the world. Another protester, Lorenzo Libero, said he was taking part as a form of political protest against the destruction of a people. Sonia Russo, who also took part in the demonstration, said: “Breaking the silence against a genocidal state remains extremely important and necessary.” Every year on May 15, Palestinians around the world mark the Nakba—Arabic for "catastrophe"—commemorating the mass expulsion and displacement that accompanied the creation of Israel in 1948.