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VENICE, Aug 27, 2025 (BSS/AFP) - Protesters against Israel's invasion of Gaza held a banner saying "Free Palestine" and "Stop the Genocide" outside the Venice Film Festival's main building on Wednesday, hours before stars were to walk its red carpet.
Around 20 people from a regional left-wing Italian political collective held up the hand-drawn banner and Palestinian flags ahead of the opening ceremony later Wednesday.
"We need to use the attention here during the film festival to shift the focus on to Palestine," Giulia Cacopardo, 28, from the North-East Social Centres, told AFP.
"We hope that other people are going to join us to stop the genocide now."
The gathering was a prelude to a much larger demonstration planned at the weekend in Venice by hundreds of local groups, with many Italian film insiders also pushing for the festival to take a stronger stance on Gaza.
Israeli's nearly two-year bombardment of the Palestinian territory overshadowed the Cannes festival in May where hundreds of movie figures signed a petition saying they were "ashamed" of their industry's "passivity" about the war.
An open letter published on Saturday in Italy was signed by hundreds of Italian cinema professionals under the banner of the Venice4Palestine (V4P) group which called on the Venice festival to take "a clear and unambiguous position" against the war.
Festival director Alberto Barbera told AFP on Wednesday that festival "does not take direct political positions, it does not make political statements, as it is a cultural space for dialogue, discussion, and openness."
He also ruled out censoring or boycotting artists.
The festival has selected a film about the war in Gaza in its main competition which will vie for the prestigious Golden Lion prize.
"The Voice of Hind Rajab", by Tunisian director Kaouther Ben Hania, reconstructs the death of six-year-old Palestinian girl Hind Rajab, who was killed last year by Israeli forces.
She and several relatives were fleeing an Israeli offensive in Gaza City in January 2024 when their car came under attack.
Israel invaded Gaza after attacks by Hamas in October 2023, which resulted in the deaths of 1,219 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on Israeli figures.
Out of 251 hostages seized during the attack, 49 are still held in Gaza, including 27 the Israeli military says are dead.
Israel's retaliatory offensive has killed at least 62,819 Palestinians, most of them civilians, according to figures from the health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza that the United Nations considers reliable.
