The Piazza Maggiore in Bologna, the capital of the Emilia-Romagna region, was the starting point of the protest, which spread through the city streets with Palestinian flags and slogans in defense of the Palestinian people, according to a report published on the website of the newspaper Il Fatto Quotidiano.

The Euroleague basketball game between the two teams was scheduled for the Paladozza sports center, located in the heart of the city, where a heavy police presence was deployed from the afternoon onwards to prevent the demonstrators from reaching the venue.

The protest against the Israeli massacre in Gaza, which has already claimed the lives of more than 67,000 Palestinians, escalated into a clash with police forces, who attempted to halt the march with water cannons and charged the demonstrators, who threw firecrackers, stones, and bottles.

Makeshift barricades transformed the streets between Via Lame, Via Marconi, Ugo Bassi, and Piazza Malpighi into a front of widespread conflict, resulting in eight injured police officers, while 15 participants in the demonstration are under investigation, the text describes.

The complex situation kept the center of Bologna tense until late into the night, while law enforcement remained deployed to try to regain control and prevent further escalation, the source adds.

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