Several thousand people took to the streets in Venice on Saturday to turn the spotlight from the film stars at the Venice Film Festival to the war in Gaza.

Protesters waving Palestinian flags marched toward the festival, which was hosting the world premiere of Guillermo del Toro’s "Frankenstein".

Protester Tommaso Cacciari said "what is happening is genocide in real time."

"We are witnessing war crimes in real time, and the world has a duty to stop it," he added.

In a press release about the demonstrations, the organizers said that "the Venice Film Festival must not remain an event isolated from reality, but rather become a space to denounce the genocide perpetrated by Israel and the complicity of Western governments, and to offer concrete support to the Palestinian people."

The group Venice4Palestine has called on the festival and its parent organization, the Venice Biennale, to end partnerships with groups supporting the Israeli government and withdraw invitations to actors Gerard Butler and Gal Gadot.

While the festival and the Biennale aren’t making political statements on Gaza, they are hosting the world premiere of Kaouther Ben Hania’s “The Voice of Hind Rajab,” about the death of a 6-year-old girl attempting to flee Gaza City with her family in early 2024.

The film is playing in the main competition.

AP video by Niccolò Lupone

Production by Francesco Sportelli