"Milan students call for Israel's exclusion from Winter Olympics over Gaza war"

Pro-Palestine students in Milan rallied to demand Israel's exclusion from the Winter Olympics, accusing organisers and the Italian govt of double standards.

Around 100 pro-Palestine students demonstrated outside Milan's State University on Thursday evening, calling for Israel to be excluded from the Winter Olympics over its war on Gaza.

The protest took place outside one of Europe's largest universities, located in central Milan, as the Olympic torch relay passed along Francesco Sforza Street in front of the campus.

Students waved Palestinian flags, lit flares and held banners reading "We won’t play with Milan". Chants of "Free, free, Palestine" echoed through the crowd, alongside slogans such as "The Olympic torch of shame, complicit in genocide and apartheid".

The demonstrators objected to Israel’s participation in this year’s Winter Games, where the country is represented by nine athletes competing in events including alpine skiing, figure skating, bobsleigh and skeleton.

Protesters accused Olympic organisers of double standards, arguing that Israel should face the same restrictions imposed on Russian athletes following Moscow's invasion of Ukraine.

"If Russian athletes are barred from marching under their flag because of war crimes, then Israel should not be allowed to parade its flag while committing genocide in Gaza," one protester told Italian media. [...]

Italian complicity and accountability

The protest forms part of a broader challenge to Italy’s political and diplomatic support for Israel as the war on Gaza continues, despite a declared ceasefire.

Human rights organisations have repeatedly accused the Italian government of complicity through its continued political, economic and military ties with Israel.

Amnesty International Italy has criticised Rome’s refusal to support suspending the EU-Israel Association Agreement, arguing that Italy’s inaction amounts to complicity in serious violations of international law.

"Italy has shown inertia and passivity that can only be explained as an act of complicity," the organisation has said, citing mounting evidence of war crimes and acts it describes as genocidal. [...]

Calls for Israel to be excluded from international sporting events have grown since the start of the war on Gaza.

The Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement movement has urged pressure on the International Olympic Committee, arguing that Israel’s decades-long system of settler colonialism and apartheid has denied Palestinians fundamental rights, including the right to participate freely in cultural and sporting life. [...]

An IOC spokesperson said before the Paris Games that the Israel-Palestine situation was “not comparable”: “The relevant NOCs did not extend their area of jurisdiction over that of another NOC or outside their own area of jurisdiction. It is beyond our remit to react to any conflict or war situation between countries. This is the pure realm of politics.” [...]

In September 2025 the IOC confirmed that Israel would not face a similar ban from the Milano Cortina Olympics this February. A statement said: “The IOC deeply believes that differences between nations must be resolved through dialogue, not violence.

“The IOC is concerned by the disruption of competitions across the world, the restriction of access to host countries for athletes, and the boycotting and cancellation of competitions due to political tensions. These actions deprive athletes of their right to compete peacefully and prevent the Olympic Movement from showing the power of sport.”