EU and UK Crack Down on Pro-Palestine Protests, Raising Free Speech Concerns
A wave of restrictive measures has swept across at least 12 EU member states—Austria, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Latvia, Poland, and Sweden—where authorities have pre-emptively banned or severely limited pro-Palestine demonstrations, citing “public order” and “security” risks. In many instances, courts subsequently overturned these bans, underscoring questions about their legality.
Meanwhile, reports from at least seven EU countries document excessive force used against demonstrators, including pepper spray, police dogs, and kettling tactics, which observers say violate fundamental human rights protections. Case studies highlight Italy and Germany in particular: Milan police used batons on pro-Palestine demonstrators in January 2024, and symbolic items such as Palestinian flags and keffiyehs have been prohibited in Germany, Italy, and Spain.
Several governments—including Austria, Germany, and France—have also conflated criticism of Israeli policy with antisemitism, leading to event cancellations, de-funding threats, and heightened surveillance. In Germany alone, 139 instances of cultural repression targeting Palestinian and Jewish activists were recorded from October 7th 2023 to January 31st 2024.
Similar trends appear in the UK, where the previous government labelled pro-Palestine rallies as “hate marches” and proposed tightening protest laws. Then Home Secretary Suella Braverman encouraged police to consider criminalising the chant “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free,” and former Home Secretary James Cleverly proposed extending the minimum notice period for large demonstrations. Moreover, former Prime Minister Rishi Sunak publicly echoed these positions, summoning police chiefs to criticise their handling of protests.
Under the leadership of Prime Minister Keir Starmer, the Labour Party has faced growing criticism for abandoning its original leftist approach. Critics argue that the party has earned its derisive nickname, “Blue Labour,” by maintaining continuity with the previous governments’ policies on political, economic, and humanitarian issues.
In Scotland, there has been a range of repressive policing targeted a large variety of pro-Palestine, anti-genocide protests. This has included violent attacks against those protesting against arms factories producing weapons used during genocide, as well prosecutions of those protesting Barclays’ huge investments in such weapons companies (such as Elbit Systems and Raytheon).
In Aberdeen, there have been a significant number of spurious police charges, most of which the procurator fiscal has not deemed worthy of taking forward to prosecution. One case that has gone forward to trial is a young woman charged for using a craft knife (which she had for the purposes of her architecture studies) to cut rope to attach a pro-Palestine banner. Most recently, 5 members of Scottish PSC in Aberdeen were issued formal police warnings for peaceful protest within Marks and Spencers supermarket. A statement following this action from SPSC Aberdeen branch is as follows:
Peaceful protest is not a crime
Protesters from Scottish Palestine Solidarity (SPSC) Aberdeen took their peaceful Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) action into Marks and Spencers on Saturday 14 December.
As the death toll in Gaza reaches 45,000 including almost 18,000 children, the protesters called on shoppers to boycott Israeli goods and for M&S to stop stocking them.
The peaceful action builds on the weekly demos outside Barclays Bank, where protesters have gathered every Saturday to demand Barclays ends its investment in arms manufacturers complicit in the Gaza bloodshed.
Unfortunately, despite being completely peaceful, the M&S action resulted in police involvement including charges, and subsequently a misleading article in the local press based on a statement from the Police.
Since Israel’s latest murderous attack on Gaza began in October last year, campaigners have been out in Aberdeen every Saturday, calling for a ceasefire, and calling out UK complicity in the genocide. Despite the consistently peaceful nature of events each week, Police Scotland have taken a heavy-handed approach towards Palestine supporters, attempting to prevent people exercising their lawful right to protest. A total of 5 spurious charges have been made against peaceful protesters over the last 14 months, none of which have been upheld. The events of this Saturday have seen that number matched in a single day and marks a worrying escalation by Police Scotland.
Equally concerning has been the lack of coverage in local media, who have consistently chosen to ignore the shocking events in Gaza that are seeing hundreds of northeast citizens – some with family members in Gaza - out each week. The article published this week is a prime example, failing to give any mention to the purpose of the protest.
We are very disappointed that peaceful protest seems to be outlawed in Aberdeen, with Police presence everywhere we go.
We are in the run-up to Christmas where the message is “peace and goodwill towards all.” The people in Gaza and wider Palestine have endured constant oppression and massacres by Israel since 1948. Since October 2023 this has worsened and in Gaza they have lived under constant bombardment by Israel, with brutal oppression continuing in the West Bank where almost 5,000 Palestinians have been murdered in the past year. They have known no peace and no goodwill.
The world looks on as a child is massacred by Israel every 10 minutes, as hospitals, schools, mosques, homes and critical infrastructure are flattened and over a million people are displaced and facing another winter sleeping in tents. Children are starving to death as Israel prevents aid from reaching the population.
We are working to keep the plight of the families in Gaza high in the public consciousness as people prepare to celebrate Christmas with their children and families. It’s about our shared humanity. In this country peaceful protest is not an offence and we would hope the people of the North East would be right behind us.
The measures taken by Police Scotland and further afield have only one objective: to systematically restrict free expression and assembly rights. Protesters and human rights groups warn that labelling pro-Palestinian support as antisemitism, coupled with heavy-handed policing, creates a climate of fear and stifles legitimate dissent throughout Europe and the UK.
Below, we explore police repression of Palestine solidarity activity in Italy.
Italy’s Far-Right Government Under Fire for Pro-Israel Policies and Crackdowns on Protest
Italy has come under growing criticism for its unwavering support for Israel, including sending weapons and funds to support Israel military actions and genocidal campaigns in Gaza and the West Bank. However, this should not come as a surprise. This stance aligns with Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s hardline approach. Once an activist with the now dissolved neofascist “Movimento Sociale Italiano” (MSI), Meloni has faced accusations of undermining democratic norms and human rights.
A Government Rooted in Neofascist History
Meloni, leader of the right-wing “Brothers of Italy” party, has attempted to cast her neofascist past as part of a “democratic right” tradition in 2022. Critics, however, accuse her of simply recasting neofascism to distance it from fascism itself. Observers also point to her administration’s growing intolerance toward peaceful assemblies, with clashes around environmental and pro-Palestinian protests.
Police Violence in Pisa Sparks Outrage
On February 23rd, 2024, a student protest in Pisa—opposing Israeli actions in Gaza—ended in violent repression. Eyewitness accounts from teachers describe police charging with truncheons, confining minors in a narrow alley, and causing injuries. The incident prompted widespread condemnation. Pisa’s mayor, Michele Conti expressed dismay, while President Sergio Mattarella lamented that using batons on minors reveals a “societal failure.” Yet some officials within the ruling right-wing Lega party in Pisa defended the police brutal actions.
As of October 2024, investigations led to charges against ten officers that were involved in the violence—seven officers from Florence’s mobile unit and three from Pisa’s police headquarters—for exceeding legitimate self-defence and inflicting injuries to peaceful protesters.
This is just one event that highlights a deeper trend of governmental intolerance toward peaceful demonstrations, particularly those in solidarity with Palestinians.
Nationwide Protests and Legislative Crackdowns
The same day as the Pisa protest, similar police tactics were reported in Florence—where protesters were blocked en route to the US Consulate—and in Catania, where law enforcement halted students from proceeding beyond University Square. These clashes are clearly part of Italy’s broader crackdown on dissent, driven by growing anger over “imperialist wars,” social inequality, and harsh government policies.
Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi has defended forceful policing, claiming protesters “failed to cooperate.” Piantedosi has previously prohibited pro-Palestinian demonstrations and made controversial remarks against refugees. Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini echoed these sentiments, depicting the police response as justified.
Additionally, a new law “decreto legge Rave party” pushed by Meloni’s government that came into effect in December 2022 has further raised penalties for public assemblies, stoking concern that the state is expanding its authority to silence critics.
Turin: Students and Police Clash Again
On November 17th, which represents the International Student Activism Day, Turin saw around 300 students march in support of Palestine and against Italian government policies in the Middle East. Tensions flared at multiple sites:
MIUR (Education Ministry) and Industrial Union Offices: Participants threw eggs at police stationed outside, prompting tightened security.
Polytechnic University: Police used shields and batons after some protesters threw stones and attempted to force officers against a wall. One member of the “Cambiare Rotta” a communist Italian group was detained, prompting demonstrators to demand his release.
RAI Production Centre: Protesters ripped away the entrance grille and accused the state broadcaster of spreading disinformation about the situation in the Middle East. They scrawled “Rai: sanzionati” near the doorway.
Leonardo and OGR Complex: Targeted for alleged military technology research and development that has been used by the Israeli government to commit Apartheid in all historical Palestine and genocide in both Gaza and the West Bank. One glass panel was spray-painted “Avio Kills.”
Police reported two injuries among their ranks. The rally finished at Palazzo Nuovo, where calls for an end to war profiteering and media bias intensified.
Rome: General Strike and Symbolic Fireworks
Also on November 17th, in Rome, the USB (Unione Sindacale di Base), an Italian trade union, organised a general strike protest. Demonstrators set off fireworks outside the Air Force headquarters at the Ministry of Defence, calling it a symbolic stand against the war in the Middle East, calling for a reduction in military expenditures, and a halt of Italian support for Israel.
Growing Calls for Accountability
Taken together, these demonstrations reflect the mounting dissatisfaction in Italy with a government suppressing dissent at home while endorsing military actions and genocide abroad. Students, human rights organisations, trade unions, and activists denounce what they describe as expanded state powers that undermine democratic freedoms. As investigations continue into police conduct in Pisa and elsewhere, pressure is rising for accountability—both for disclosed abuses on Italian streets and for the government’s relentless alignment with Israel’s internationally contested policies.