ROME

Police in two central Italian cities on Friday used force against protesters, mostly students, calling for an immediate cease-fire in the Gaza Strip. 

Italian police used force to disperse protesters who were on their way to central locations in the Tuscan cities of Pisa and Florence.

The protesters in Florence, Tuscany's capital, wanted to stage a protest in front of the US consulate, but police intercepted them at a central square in the city of the Leaning Tower, resulting in clashes and injuries.

Footage aired by Italian media showed that police began hitting the youngsters with truncheons as they tried to force the blockade and proceed to their intended destinations.

In a video released by Italian news agency ANSA, a student claims that some protesters were injured on their heads.

Teachers were outraged by the clashes, which occurred near a high school building in Pisa.

“We have witnessed scenes of shocking violence with the police not even negotiating with the students or trying to talk to them,” teachers wrote in an open letter posted on social media.

The teachers also claimed that the students in Pisa were charged by police while standing in front of them with their arms raised.

“Once again people protesting against the ongoing massacre in Gaza were hit by police,” Giuseppe Conte, the leader of the opposition party Five Star Movement, said on X, posting footage of the clashes in Pisa.

“These are worrying images, not worthy of our country. This cannot be the response of our state to dissent,” he added.