Piazza San Marco in Florence becomes Piazza Shireen Abu Akleh. Under the statue of Manfredo Fanti there is a large banner with her name, the Palestinian journalist killed on 11 May 2022 by Israeli forces while she was working on a television report for Al Jazeera. She is not the only journalist killed on that piece of land: at least one hundred and twenty have been killed since October 7, the day of Hamas’ brutal attack on Israel. For them too, the Florentine students yesterday took to the square a few steps from the Rector’s office.
Camped in tents, as the students of the University of Pisa and Siena and other Italian universities had done before them, and before that in the US universities that started this protest. Since yesterday morning, too Dozens of tents appeared in Piazza San Marco of all colors, in addition to Palestinian flags. Many young people with keffiyeh on their neck or head. Around three hundred students were present in the square yesterday, not only from the University of Florence, but also from the Scuola Normale of Pisa and the European University Institute of Fiesole.
THE protesters they asked their faculties to «severe all agreements with companies that arm genocide such as Leonardo, formerly Finmeccanica, whose weapons are used in Gaza». And then “stop agreements of any kind with Israeli universities”. Furthermore, a public stance was requested from the Universities against the perpetuation of the Israeli invasion: «We ask for a freezing of relations, as seventy-six Spanish universities have already done, with those Israeli universities that have not firmly condemned what is happening in Gaza and Rafah and have not taken action for a ceasefire.” And again, «the offer of assistance and concrete support to the Palestinian academic communities so that their freedom of thought and expression is guaranteed». L’acampada, as it was called by the students, will continue “until the rector of the University of Florence receives us”. Yesterday the rector, Alessandra Petrucci, did not want to comment on the protest.
He also lingered for a few minutes at the demonstration, during which various students took turns at the microphone the imam of Florence Izzeddin Elzir, Palestinian from Hebron, one of the cities of the West Bank that is most affected by the presence of the Israeli army and settlers: «The presence of young people, of students after 76 years of occupation of Palestine shows that we want peace and freedom, that we lack peace and freedom there and here. It takes courage because today it is not easy to demonstrate for rights, you risk being accused of being against the Jewish people. But in reality they are demonstrations for the rights of the Palestinian people. Politics is corrupt, closely linked to economic interests, young people are not, they are free, fortunately, and it shows.” Also present were numerous members of the Islamic community and the city councilor candidate for mayor of the Left Municipality Project Dmitrij Palagi.
A garrison that began yesterday not by chance, given that it was the anniversary of the Nakba“the catastrophe” as the Palestinians define it, the exodus of the Arab population during the civil war of 1947-48, at the end of the British mandate, and during the Arab-Israeli war of 1948, after the foundation of the State of Israel.
Many banners and many slogans shouted by the demonstrators, including: «Out of Israel from the University»«Israel fascist terrorist state».
