News / Strikes and protests hit Italian ports as workers condemn support for Israel

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Italy’s dockers have become the latest in Europe to down tools in protest against Europe’s support for Israel, hitting port operations and transport services.

Access to ports including Genoa, Livorno and Ravenna have been blocked since the early hours of this morning, as the 24-hour strike kicked in, protesters joining strikers to block Livorno’s main entrance at the Valessi gate.

In Genoa, protesters were telling local media “we will not allow even a single bullet to leave this port”, with efforts under way to impede Haifa-bound sailings.

The port faced action on Friday too, sources telling The Loadstar no containers had left the port. Today not only is there limited traffic out of Genoa, but the situation has been compounded by a public transport strike impeding staff getting to work.

One of the organising groups, Unione Sindacale di Base (USB), said the action was intended to provoke the Italian government into imposing sanctions on the government in Tel Aviv.

It added: “Many ports will be blocked; it will be people who stand in front of the crossings and prevent the passage giving a hand to the workers who will have stopped inside.”

Today’s action follows dock workers and local officials at the port of Ravenna blocking the export of two containers loaded with explosives.

Despite the government in Rome last year actioning a full arms embargo on Israel, weapons still make their way to the country from Italy, with Ravenna’s mayor, Alessandro Barattoni, urging stronger enforcement of the embargo.

The Loadstar believes there is potentially one Israel-bound sailing due out of Ravenna today, the 670 teu Lucy Borchard, which runs an Israel-Egypt-Cyprus-Italy rotation.

It arrived at Ravenna at 10am this morning, 12 hours behind scheduleand is set to call at Limassol and Alexandria before arriving in Ashdod on 29 September, as part of the Adriatic Service.

Earlier this year, dockers in France, Greece, Spain, and Sweden all engaged in similar acts of protest, those in Barcelona claiming they would no longer handle Israeli shipments.

In Sweden, a six-day blockade was imposed on all military cargo to and from Israel, having received 68% member support alongside a unanimous ruling from the country’s labour courts that the action was legal and could proceed.