Italy hit by mass strike over rearmament and in solidarity with Gaza
Via Middle East Monitor. May 18
A nationwide general strike took place in Italy on Monday in protest against rearmament policies and in support of Palestinians in Gaza, Anadolu reports.
The strike was organized following a call from the USB union and other civil society groups under the slogan "We block everything."
Participants opposed rising living costs, increased military spending, and what they described as government priorities favoring armament over healthcare and education.
They also expressed opposition to Israel's attacks in Gaza and voiced support for the "Global Sumud Flotilla," a civilian aid initiative attempting to reach the territory.
Demonstrations were held in multiple cities, including Rome, where protesters gathered at Piazza Cinquecento.
Many displayed Palestinian flags and demanded that the Italian government reduce or end what they called complicity with Israel.
Slogans calling for a "Free Palestine" were repeatedly heard during the protests.
Transport disruptions were reported across the country.
In Rome, one metro line was suspended, while in Naples, service on a metro line was halted.
In Milan, some suburban rail services were also affected, and port workers in Livorno carried out industrial action.
The protests also highlighted solidarity with activists involved in the Sumud Flotilla.
A Palestinian-origin Spanish activist, Saif Abukeshek, previously detained during a maritime incident involving Israeli forces, attended the Rome rally.
The Israeli army on Monday attacked and intercepted the Gaza-bound Global Sumud humanitarian flotilla in international waters and detained around 100 activists as the mission sought to break Israel’s blockade on the Palestinian enclave.
Speaking to Anadolu, he described the recent interceptions of flotilla vessels in international waters as violations of international law and linked them to broader criticism of Italy's arms trade policies.
Another protester, Andrea Ziccaro, said the strike was aimed at opposing what he called a "war economy," arguing that prioritizing military spending leads to neglect of social services like health and education.
Earworm Kars4Kids jingle yanked from California airwaves for false advertising
Via The Guardian
The twangy jingle produced by Kars4Kids will no longer be broadcast in California, at least in its current form, after a state judge determined last week the charity’s ads amounted to false advertising.
The infamously catchy tune – “1-877-Kars4Kids/K-A-R-S Kars for Kids/1-877-Kars4Kids/Donate your car today” – has been on airwaves for nearly two decades. During that time, Kars4Kids has faced litigation and state government investigations for its misleading fundraising practices.
Bruce Puterbaugh brought suit against the charity in 2021, after he parted ways with a nonfunctional 2001 Volvo XC valued at $250.
He donated to the charity, believing it worked in service of “underprivileged kids from all over the US”, according to documents from the Orange county superior court.
Puterbaugh would later learn Kars4Kids is used to fund Oorah, a Jewish non-profit. That organization runs summer camps in the tri-state area and organizes gap year trips to Israel for 17- and 18-year-olds. Oorah also used $16.5m funneled from Kars4Kids to buy a building in Israel as it expands its presence there.
“I feel taken advantage of by the ad and information that was not there,” he said in court testimony.
Esti Landau, the organization’s chief operating officer, testified that the well-known ad does not mention the Jewish community. Kars4Kids funnels about $45m annually to Oorah. Of the 120,000 cars donated nationwide, approximately 30,000 originated in California, per court documents. It’s unclear over what time period those cars were donated.
Kars4Kids was ordered to pay $250 in restitution to the plaintiff and given a deadline of 30 days to “cease all non-compliant broadcasting in California”.
“Money cannot ‘un-donate’ a car or restore the donor’s belief that they were helping a local, needy child,” the court wrote in its ruling. “When a charity generates millions annually through a ‘jingle’ that conceals its primary religious and geographic focus, it creates an unfair playing field for local California charities that are honest about their missions.”
Any future ads in the state must disclose its religious affiliation and geographic location. They also cannot include images of prepubescent children, given that several of Oorah’s programs support young adults.
A Creative Action
Six people have been detained after activists unfurled a large Palestinian flag at the Eiffel Tower in Paris during a demonstration marking the 78th anniversary of the Nakba, which is described as the “Great Catastrophe” of 1948, Anadolu reports.
According to Le Parisien newspaper, members of the environmental campaign group Extinction Rebellion displayed the flag on the monument’s first floor on Friday.
A police official, quoted anonymously, said the individuals were arrested on suspicion of entering a protected area without authorization and endangering the safety of others.
Prosecutors are expected to receive a formal complaint, though it was not immediately clear who would file it.
The incident prompted political reaction in France and beyond.
Rima Hassan, a French-Palestinian member of the European Parliament, criticized the arrests on social media, pointing to previous political displays at the landmark.
She referenced the decision by former Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo to illuminate the Eiffel Tower in the colors of the Israeli flag following the October 2023 attacks, noting that no arrests were made in that instance.
The Eiffel Tower has also been used for other symbolic projections in recent years.
In September 2025, Palestinian and Israeli flags were displayed simultaneously on the monument in support of President Emmanuel Macron’s initiative linked to recognition of a Palestinian state.
More than 800,000 Palestinians were forcibly displaced during the events surrounding the establishment of Israel in 1948—a catastrophe Palestinians commemorate annually on May 15 as the Nakba.
