Large protests took place in Rome on Saturday as trade unions and social groups rallied against military actions by the United States and Israel targeting Iran.
Demonstrators said the escalating tensions in the Middle East risk further destabilizing the region and increasing global tensions.
Saturday's rally was one of the largest recent demonstrations in the Italian capital opposing the strikes on Iran. Protesters said European countries should avoid being drawn into new military confrontations and instead push for diplomacy and dialogue to ease regional tensions.
For some, the strikes reflect a broader narrative of heightened tensions around the world, which they hope will be reigned in.
"The genocide in Palestine is still ongoing. Venezuela has been subjected to aggression. And now Iran is being bombed. We oppose dragging the world into war. We demand the right of people in every country to live in peace, and we call for peaceful diplomatic solutions," said Giuliano Granato, spokesperson of Power to the People, a political party in Italy.
Others emphasized that military conflicts may be used by governments as a distraction from the plight of everyday people.
"We are paying the price for these wars. It is workers, retirees and people on fixed incomes who are bearing the cost. We hope the government will take measures to address these economic impacts," said Guido Lutrario, member of the national executive of Unione Sindacale di Base (USB), an Italian labor union.
More than 1,300 people have been killed in Israeli and American strikes, Xinhua News Agency reported on Saturday, citing Iranian officials.
Protesters in Rome rally against US, Israeli strikes on Iran
Protesters in Rome rally against US, Israeli strikes on Iran
A Chinese mainland spokesperson on Wednesday slammed Taiwan leader Lai Ching-te over his latest remarks on cross-Strait relations, accusing him of promoting secessionism and escalating tensions across the Taiwan Strait.
Chen Binhua, spokesperson for the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council, said in a press release that Lai's speech marking his second anniversary in office was "filled with lies and deception, hostility and confrontation."
Chen accused Lai of stubbornly adhering to a secessionist stance in pursuit of "Taiwan independence," while exaggerating the so-called threats from the mainland and intensifying confrontation across the Strait.
Lai played an old trick of advocating the secessionist agenda on one hand and, on the other, calling insincerely for dialogue and exchanges with the mainland, attempting to mislead people in Taiwan and deceive the international community, he said.
Chen said that these common tricks have been seen through by more and more Taiwanese people. Their deceptive and provocative actions will be met with firm opposition from compatriots on both sides and the international community, and are doomed to fail.
Reaffirming the mainland's position on the Taiwan question, Chen said Taiwan has never been a country, is not one now, and will never become one in the future.
He described the Taiwan question as a historical issue left over from a Chinese civil war in the 1940s.
No election result in Taiwan could alter the fact that Taiwan is part of China or sever the historical and legal bonds linking the two sides of the Strait, according to Chen.
The mainland would never allow any person or force to pursue secessionist activities under any pretext, he added.
Calling secessionists "the chief culprit" who undermines cross-Strait peace, Chen said the mainland would continue to uphold the one-China principle and the 1992 Consensus, unite broadly with Taiwan compatriots, combat secessionist activities, and safeguard peace and stability across the Strait.
Central government spokesperson refutes Lai Ching-te's latest remarks, warns against secessionist moves
