It's all up to the common people
Italian port blocks arms for Israel as worker protests mount
Italy’s Adriatic port of Ravenna has refused entry to two trucks said to be carrying arms to Israel, as protests mount among Italian dockworkers and other labour groups against the war in Gaza.
The centre-left mayor of Ravenna, Alessandro Barattoni, told reporters the port authority had accepted the request from him and the regional government to deny access to the lorries carrying explosives en route to the Israeli port of Haifa.
“The Italian state says it has blocked the sale of arms to Israel, but it is unacceptable that, thanks to bureaucratic loopholes, they can pass through Italy from other countries,” Barattoni said in a statement.
He did not provide details on where the containers had come from or provide evidence of their contents.
Similar action to block arms shipments to Israel has been taken by dockworkers in other European countries such as France, Sweden and Greece.
Ravenna’s decision reflects growing mobilisation in Italy against Israel’s assault and in support of an international flotilla trying to deliver aid to the Palestinians.
On Friday, Italy’s largest trade union body, the CGIL, will hold a national half-day strike and marches in Rome and other cities, while on September 22, two other unions will halt work and try to block activity in the large ports of Genoa and Livorno.
The CGIL said its protests were aimed at generating pressure on Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s government “to suspend all commercial and military cooperation agreements with Israel, lift the humanitarian embargo, and recognise the State of Palestine”.
Israel Foreign Ministry calls Global Sumud Flotilla ‘jihadist initiative serving terror group’
The latest Israeli condemnation comes as many ships in the Global Sumud Flotilla have left Sicily bound for Gaza.
The flotilla hopes to break Israel’s blockade, with several high-profile activists and more than 50 ships taking part. Israel has in the past intercepted flotillas, sometimes with deadly consequences.
In a post on X, Israel called the Sumud “a jihadist initiative serving the terror group’s agenda”, referring to Hamas, which has voiced support for the flotilla’s efforts.
