Thousands of pro-Palestinian demonstrators marched in Venice on Saturday during the 82nd Venice International Film Festival, turning one of the world’s premier cultural showcases into a stage for anti-Israel activism, reports The Jerusalem Post.
The protest was organised by Venice4Palestine, a coalition of Italian and international film professionals, which said it aimed to “break the silence” on alleged Israeli actions in Gaza. In an open letter to the festival, the group declared: “We – activists and workers in the film, media and news fields – believe that for once, the show must stop. We must interrupt the flow of indifference and open a path to awareness.”
The organisers accused Israel of “murderous attacks on film directors and crews in the West Bank” and claimed that 250 Palestinian media workers had been killed. They called on the festival to amplify voices from Gaza, positioning the protest as both a form of political theatre and a cultural intervention.
A central demand of the activists was that the festival disinvite Israeli actress Gal Gadot, best known for her role in Wonder Woman. Italian actress Tecla Insolia told Corriere della Sera: “Excluding Gadot is the minimum, and it does not count as discrimination. It’s the minimum to ask for those who publicly support genocide.”
Festival director Alberto Barbera later confirmed that Gadot would not be attending. He told Variety that protesters had declined his offer to send a delegation onto the red carpet, insisting instead on demonstrating outside the grounds.
The protest reflects a growing pattern of antisemitic cultural boycotts in Europe, where Israeli artists and Jewish figures are increasingly singled out and delegitimised. By demanding Gadot’s exclusion purely on the basis of her nationality and support for Israel, activists have blurred the line between political protest and targeting individuals for being Israeli or Jewish.
The Jewish community has warned that such cultural boycotts echo earlier historical patterns of exclusion, normalising antisemitism under the guise of political activism. As seen in recent cancellations of Israeli-linked art and music events across Europe, protests like Venice4Palestine’s are not only aimed at Israel’s government but increasingly at silencing Jewish participation in global cultural life.
Photo credit: Alessandro Levati/Getty Images
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