Disruptive Compassion: The Uncompromising Activism of Michele Giuli
How a 29-year-old professor’s raw protests against genocide and climate inaction are redefining resistance and why he insists he’s no hero.
When Michele Giuli screamed at shoppers in a Carrefour supermarket about the store’s ties to Israeli genocide, his voice cracked with fury. Days earlier, he’d been dragged from the Italian Parliament for a hunger strike against fascist policies. Both acts went viral, but Giuli rejects the "hero" label. "There are people in Gaza fighting 10,000 times harder than me, and they are being silenced by the media”.
What makes Giuli’s activism resonate globally isn’t just his courage—it’s his philosophy: Disruption is empathy in action.
Why Disruption? "We Don’t Ask for Change—We Build It"
Giuli’s approach draws from Martin Luther King Jr.: "Marches preach to the converted," he argues. "We have a responsibility to educate, and raise awareness.
His Carrefour protest wasn’t planned. Seeing his Palestinian comrades ignored, he erupted: "I shouted because the silence was unbearable and I guess my authenticity is what made that moment go viral. Everyone is feeling rage right now, so I say let it be known.”
Italy’s Youth: A Generation Torn Between Rage and Powerlessness
Despite massive pro-Palestine rallies, Giuli sees frustration:
The problem: "We can boycott, protest… but our government still sells weapons to Israel."
The hope: "If we shift tactics—be louder, bolder—we can reach right-wing voters enabling this."
His students now study history differently: "I teach that change isn’t inevitable—it’s won through sacrifice."
Climate Delays; Giuli exposes Italy’s fossil fuel hypocrisy:
12 billion euros/year in the fossil fuels subsidies industry while healthcare crumbles. U.S. pressure: "They force Europe to buy fracked gas 4x pricier than Russia’s—or face sanctions."
"Renewables could thrive here," he insists. "But corruption starves them.Go where people aren’t listening. A supermarket. A subway car. Speak until the comfortable squirm. That’s how minds change." For Michele, activism isn’t about being liked, it’s about being unignorable. As his disruptions are proving that sometimes, the loudest message is when the heart speaks.
Boycott. Disrupt. Repeat.
Giuli’s parting words crackle with urgency: "Right now, everyone—yes, everyone—can boycott products tied to Israel. Don’t buy that shit. Print postcards listing boycotted brands and plaster them across your city. Do it alone or with thousands. This isn’t activism for the elite—it’s resistance for the restless." He extends the fight to Italy’s cost-of-living crisis, inviting global allies to join Ultima Generazione’s 100,000-person supermarket strike: "When we starve their profits, they’ll feel our rage." For Giuli, change begins where complacency ends—at the checkout line, in the parliament hall, anywhere silence is complicity. "History isn’t made by heroes," he reminds us. "It’s made by those who choose, daily, to disrupt the ordinary—until justice becomes inevitable."
→ Take Action: Visit UltimaGenerazione.org
