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- Students, unions, and workers held demonstrations across Italy on Monday against Israel’s offensive in Gaza
- Dockworkers in Genoa and Livorno disrupted access roads to stop Italy being used for arms shipments to Israel
- Strikes and rallies caused delays in buses and trains, while some schools were closed; airlines were unaffected
- Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s government remains pro-Israel and cautious on recognising Palestine, despite growing pressure
ROME: Pro-Palestinian protests, strikes and blockades swept across Italy on Monday, disrupting transport and port operations, as unions and activists demanded an end to Israel’s offensive in Gaza and called for sanctions.
The mobilisation coincided with France’s and several other countries’ intention to recognise the State of Palestine at the United Nations General Assembly in New York, following recognition by the United Kingdom, Australia and Canada on Sunday. But Italy has taken a more cautious stance and will not recognise a Palestinian state for now.
In Rome, hundreds of high school students gathered outside Termini train station, waving Palestinian flags and chanting “Free Palestine!”
Michelangelo, 17, told AFP he was there to support “a population that is being exterminated.” Francesca Tecchia, 18, joined her first protest, saying “what is happening (in Gaza) is too important.”
“Italy must come to a standstill today,” said Federica Casino, a 52-year-old worker demonstrating alongside the students “for Gaza’s dead children and destroyed hospitals.”
Strikes also hit Italy’s ports. In Genoa, dockworkers blocked access roads early in the morning, waving Palestinian flags and vowing to stop Italy being used as a staging post for arms shipments to Israel. Further down the coast in Livorno, an entrance to the port was also blocked.
“The Palestinian people continue to give us yet another lesson in dignity and resistance,” said Ricky, a protester from the Autonomous Port Workers’ Collective. “We learn from them and try to do our part.”
Demonstrations were also reported in Milan, Turin, Florence, Naples, Bari and Palermo. In Rome, bus services were disrupted and metro trains faced delays, though in Milan and other cities most underground lines continued to run. Airlines were not affected. Several schools closed after unions joined the strike.
Dockworkers in Genoa and Livorno say their aim is to halt supplies linked to Israel’s campaign in Gaza, which has left the territory devastated after nearly two years of war. More than 65,000 Palestinians, a majority civilians, have been killed in the Israeli military campaign since the October 7, 2023 Hamas-led attacks that claimed 1,219 lives in Israel, according to official figures and UN-verified data.
Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s ultraconservative government, closely aligned with US President Donald Trump, has voiced concern over the humanitarian toll but remains reluctant to back EU trade sanctions or recognise Palestinian statehood. Transport Minister Matteo Salvini on Monday downplayed the protests, calling them the work of “a far-left union group.”
(With AFP and Reuters)