Tens of thousands of demonstrators march across Italy calling for an end to war worldwide

ROME (AP) — Tens of thousands of demonstrators took to the streets in seven Italian cities on Saturday calling for an immediate cease-fire in the Middle East, Ukraine and all global conflicts.

Peaceful rallies were held in Rome, Turin, Milan, Florence, Bari, Palermo and Cagliari, with the support of hundreds of associations committed to peace, disarmament and human rights.

The marches came in response to escalating violence in the Middle East and growing conflicts worldwide and denounced the diminished role of the United Nations on the global scene.

In Rome, a few thousand demonstrators marched waving a giant rainbow flag in front of the Colosseum and a banner with the slogan: “Let’s stop wars. The time for peace is now!”

“The war in Ukraine has been going on for years now and what was the result? Nothing. … There are only a lot of Ukrainian and Russian people who died, many soldiers and many children,” said Daniela Ferraci, a demonstrator in the Italian capital. “The same is happening in Gaza, in Israel, in Lebanon.”

Giulio Marcon, one of the organizers of the Rome rally, said “wars are never resolving problems.”

“War brings more war, weapons bring more weapons. We must choose the path of negotiation, cease-fire and diplomacy. This is the message from this square,” he said.

Maurizio Landini, leader of Italy’s CGIL trade union, called for the role of international diplomacy to be reaffirmed.

“Our strongest request is a ceasefire to let governments open a real peace conference, because the new world’s balance can’t be decided by wars,” he said on stage.