Pro-Palestinian demonstrators took to the streets on Tuesday in the northern Italian city of Udine before Italy's World Cup soccer qualifier against Israel, amid tight security measures against possible infiltration by violent groups.
Italy are due to face Israel at 20:45 (1845 GMT) at the Friuli Stadium in the city's northwestern outskirts, while the demonstration, which up to 10,000 people are expected to take part in, will wind its way through the city center.
March organizers Committee for Palestine-Udine called on FIFA, soccer's global governing body, to ban Israel from all competitions, saying the team supported "occupation policies" in the Palestinian territories.
PROTEST TO GO AHEAD DESPITE CEASEFIRE DEAL
Organizers pressed ahead with the protest even after the government of Benjamin Netanyahu and the Hamas group agreed a ceasefire deal that included the release of the remaining living Israeli hostages and the return of Palestinian prisoners.
Andrea Ciampi, who came to Udine from Venice to take part in the protest, said he is a huge soccer fan but thought it was more important to demonstrate on the streets than go to the stadium on this occasion.
"The ceasefire is a good thing because it stops the slaughtering. But what are the conditions? Where is the voice of the Palestinian people in the deal?" he said.
The Italian soccer federation said just over 9,000 tickets had been sold for the match against Israel, well short of the reduced capacity of 16,000.
Local authorities issued a raft of restrictions, including road closures and parking limits, and installed concrete barriers around the stadium to create security zones.
Serving food and drink in glass, ceramic or tin containers is banned on match day, and outdoor furnishings must be removed from outside public establishments.
Some shopkeepers have decided to keep their shutters down for the entire day, while others will only close in the afternoon as the protest begins.
Residents fear violent elements could join the march — as has happened elsewhere in Italy in recent weeks — and dislike the high-security atmosphere in the usually quiet city.
"I saw helicopters flying over my head. I believe such a deployment of forces for a football match should never take place," said resident Paolo Lizzi.
