Over 15,000 march through Rome for Palestine
Strikes and protests erupted in over 80 towns and cities across Italy on Monday. Trade unions called for a general strike for Palestine, with millions of workers now reportedly walking out.
Transport has been brought to a standstill, with dock workers leading the way in boycotting Israeli goods.
In Genoa, thousands of dock workers and supporters shut down the entrance to the port, aiming to stop any shipments going to Israel. SI Cobas union member Fabio was at Genoa. He told Socialist worker, “There were many people at the strike.
“In other cities the numbers of people were more a surprise—in Salerno the blockade was probably even more effective than in Genoa and less expected for a smaller city, and in Marghera, Venezia, as well.”
Fabio said there is a “general climate of rising protest”.
“The general feeling is that many more people than before, especially in the public sector, feel the need to express their opposition to what is happening in Gaza and are willing to take a step forward to do so. That’s probably also many people struck who usually don’t.”
Members of the trade unions USB and SI Cobas at the port have held multiple strikes and protests previously to block arms bound for the terror state. And last week, CGIL union federation members at the port of Ravenna refused the entry of two trucks carrying weapons destined for Israel.
That action has now spread down the coast to the Livorno port, where workers also blocked off the dock.
“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.”
In Rome, tens of thousands of people rallied. Bus services were halted and the metro trains delayed. One person on the protest told Socialist Worker, “A general strike and march for Gaza in Rome mustered protesters at seven assembly points.
“The crowd was good spirited and vocal, mainly made up of young people, with a few revolutionary flags.
“The march paused noisily outside the headquarters of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization
“Pausing again symbolically outside the Colosseum, a symbol of Roman Imperial power, we made our way to the Piazza dei Cinquecento. A worker advertising ‘hop on’ buses joined in our chants of ‘Free, Free Palestine’.”
In Rome, hundreds of secondary school pupils gathered outside Termini railway station, waving Palestinian flags and chanting.
In Milan, protesters clashed with the police.
Luca from the Milan Anti-Repression Committee told Socialist Worker, “After a demonstration involving thousands of people, the march attempted to enter the central station.
“Repelled by the police, the demonstrators put up determined and militant self-defence, resisting the heavy firing of tear gas and police batons.”
Luca added that the “clashes then moved to a wide avenue in front of the station”, with people protesting “to demand freedom for those arrested.”
In Turin, a protester told Socialist Worker, “Today there were so many of us, from schools to universities, from unions to workers. We demonstrated in the streets, along the river with canoes and between the train tracks. We were all united to support the Palestinian people and the Global Sumud Flotilla.”
In Bologna, northern Italy, thousands of protesters blocked the main road going to Florence. In Venice, people rallied behind a banner reading, “Gaza is burning, we will block everything”, and the police then unleashed water cannons on protesters.
Fascist prime minister Giorgia Meloni is hard line in her support for Israel. As Western leaders are recognising Palestine, Meloni has reiterated her support for terror state and its genocide.
As Italy shows, workers using their power to shut down the same system that fuels genocide is the way forward.
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