Rome streets along rally route will be closed to traffic on Saturday.Rome is to host a major rally on Saturday in support of the residents of Gaza and in protest at the interception by Israeli forces of a flotilla carrying humanitarian aid.The pro-Palestinian protest will take place amid high security, police said, starting from Piazzale Ostiense at 14.30 and making its way to Porta San Giovanni, leading to street closures and traffic restrictions in the capital. On Friday more than two million people rallied in around 100 cities across Italy for a general strike in solidarity with Gaza and the Global Sumud Flotilla, according to Italy's largest trade union CGIL which was behind the mass protest along with other unions. CGIL leader Maurizio Landini rejected claims by the country's strike watchdog that the protest was unlawful, declaring it "an extraordinary day" in which Italian workers and students protested against "genocide and the logic of war". The strike, which affected Italy's transport, education and healthcare sectors, saw 300,000 people march through the streets of Rome alone, according to CGIL. The interior ministry put the figures much lower - 29 demonstrations nationwide on Friday with fewer than 400,000 participants in total - and said that 55 police officers had been injured in clashes since Thursday. Italian premier Giorgia Meloni sharply criticised the flotilla and the decision by unions to call a general strike on Friday, suggesting it was politically motivated against her right-wing government and was an excuse for a long weekend. Landini on Thursday hit back at Meloni's "long weekend" jibe by stating: "I never thought a prime minister would reach such a low level". "It's clear they want to undermine the right to strike" - Landini said in an interview on RAI 3 on Friday - "and on the other side, they're looking for an incident, they're clashing with people, they're trying to incite hatred", adding: "Anyone in government should ask themselves: why are two million people taking to the streets, giving up their salaries, to demand peace?". Photo credit: Fabrizio Maffei / Shutterstock.com.

Rome is to host a major rally on Saturday in support of the residents of Gaza and in protest at the interception by Israeli forces of a flotilla carrying humanitarian aid. The pro-Palestinian protest will take place amid high security, police said, starting from Piazzale Ostiense at 14.30 and making its way to Porta San Giovanni, leading to street closures and  in the capital. On Friday more than two million people rallied in around 100 cities across Italy for in solidarity with Gaza and the Global Sumud Flotilla, which was behind the mass protest along with other unions. CGIL leader Maurizio Landini rejected claims by the country's strike watchdog that the protest was unlawful, declaring it "an extraordinary day" in which Italian workers and students protested against "genocide and the logic of war". The strike, which affected Italy's transport, education and healthcare sectors, saw 300,000 people march through the streets of Rome alone, according to CGIL. The interior ministry put the figures much lower - 29 demonstrations nationwide on Friday with fewer than 400,000 participants in total - and said that 55 police officers had been injured in clashes since Thursday. Italian premier Giorgia Meloni the flotilla and the decision by unions to call a general strike on Friday, suggesting it was politically motivated against her right-wing government and was an excuse for a long weekend. Landini on Thursday hit back at Meloni's "long weekend" jibe by stating: "I never thought a prime minister would reach such a low level". "It's clear they want to undermine the right to strike" - Landini said in an interview on RAI 3 on Friday - "and on the other side, they're looking for an incident, they're clashing with people, they're trying to incite hatred", adding: "Anyone in government should ask themselves: why are two million people taking to the streets, giving up their salaries, to demand peace?". Photo credit: Fabrizio Maffei / Shutterstock.com.