A Palestinian man leaves Gaza City. At night. By bicycle. He pushes it on foot. In front, a child resting on the horizontal tube and clinging to the handlebars. Behind, a child sitting on the rack, head on the saddle. Exhausted, devastated, defeated. Desperate. The image circulates on social media. Yet another symbol of a war turned genocide.

Genoa is also mobilizing for peace. It does so by bicycle. Tomorrow, the meeting point is in De Ferrari Square at 6 PM, an easy and flat route, entirely on bike lanes or cycling paths: Via XX Settembre, Victory Square, stop at the Arch of the Fallen, Partisan Brigades Avenue, Corso Italia to the maritime village of Boccadasse, then return.

"Cycling for Peace" is a large widespread event across Italy, born from the collaboration between Emergency and Fiab. An accessible bike ride, open to everyone, aimed at delivering a collective message against the logic of weapons and in favor of rights. "We know - explain the organizers - that civilians have always been the first victims of every conflict. What is happening in Ukraine or in the Gaza Strip and West Bank are just the most well-known tragedies, but we cannot forget that humanity is tormented by 56 armed conflicts, whose intensity and complexity contributes to a global picture of instability and suffering, opening serious humanitarian crises everywhere. We therefore invite all people who reject the idea of using weapons as the only and inevitable option for resolving international conflicts and believe instead in the need to bring back the concept and word of peace to the center of public discourse".

The bicycle is, by its very nature, peaceful. Alfredo Martini argued that the bicycle deserved the Nobel Peace Prize. The radio program Caterpillar (Rai Radio 2) promoted the idea as a project. Paola Gianotti brought the proposal, by bicycle, to Oslo. The candidacy was not considered because, by statute, it belongs to a man or a woman, not an object. But the idea was greeted with enthusiasm everywhere.

The bicycle is, by its very nature, peaceful and, as such, vulnerable. So much so that the Vuelta of Spain was unjustly interrupted several times for anti-war demonstrations. That was not the right occasion.

The Genoa bike ride will not restore peace. But this time, by doing so, making oneself heard, seen, and taking courage will help. At least our consciences.