Italian Dockers Stop Arms Shipment to Israel in Solidarity with Palestine

In an exemplary move of solidarity with Palestinians, after discovering that a shipment of arms destined for Israel was arriving in Italy’s ports, workers organized in one of Italy’s main unions, L'Unione Sindacale di Base, and other workers’ organizations refused to load the ship in support of the Palestinians fighting for their lives against Israeli occupation.

This Friday (14 May) the Asiatic Island arrived in the port of Livorno, Italy. Thanks to the report of the Autonomous Collective of Port Workers of Genoa and the Weapon Watch association, the port workers, organized in L’Unione Sindacale di Base, learned that the ship was filled with weapons and explosives bound for the Israeli dock of Ashdod. These weapons and explosives would be used to kill Palestinians, who have already been hit by a brutal Israeli military offensive that has murdered hundreds of victims, including many children. The union announced shortly after that it would not allow this or any other maritime shipments of armaments to set sail for Israel.

The dockworkers’ unions in Italy are trying to gather more information about the shipments coming to their ports in order to prevent military supplies from arriving in Israel. They have received a report about the presence of dozens of armoured military vehicles ready to be loaded onto another ship, the Molo Italia.

L’Unione Sindacale di Base has also decided to be in the streets of Livorno on 15 May marching in solidarity with the Palestinian population to demand the immediate cessation of the bombing of Gaza and the evictions of Palestinians from their homes.

This example of workers’ solidarity, if multiplied and expanded internationally, could be powerful enough to stop the criminal attacks of the State of Israel against Palestine.