Italian Dockworkers Threaten to ‘Shut Down All of Europe’ If Gaza Aid Flotilla Is Blocked

Italian dockworkers have threatened to “shut down all of Europe” and block all shipments to Israel if communication with the latest aid flotilla bound for Gaza is lost. The threat marks a significant escalation in dockworkers’ long history of industrial action in solidarity with Palestine.

Speaking at a procession in the port of Genoa – one of Italy’s two largest commercial ports – on behalf of the Unione Sindacale di Base (USB), a syndicate of various grassroots unions in Italy and thought to be the largest of its kind, the dockworker said: “If we lose contact with our boats, with our comrades – even for just 20 minutes – we will shut down all of Europe.”

“Our young women and men must come back without a scratch, and all this cargo, which belongs to the people and is going to the people, must reach its destination, down to the very last box.”

“13,000-14,000 containers leave this region every year for Israel. Not a single nail will leave anymore,” he continued.

In a statement, USB said it was “ready to mobilise in defence of the flotilla. Workers can play a decisive role … we must be ready to react with all the forms of struggle at our disposal.”

“As many of us are repeating these days, we can’t stand by and watch … If they block the flotilla, we block everything!”

The Global Sumud Flotilla expedition, which set sail on Sunday, is the largest ever naval mission to break Israel’s siege and deliver humanitarian supplies to Gaza, with around 20 vessels carrying delegates from at least 44 countries (though some have been forced to turn back due to bad weather).

While ships mainly departed from Barcelona, some vessels also departed from the Italian port.

Aboard the flotilla is Swedish climate justice campaigner Greta Thunberg, former Barcelona mayor Ada Colau and Novara Media contributor Kieran Andrieu. It is the third attempt to deliver aid by sea this year and the 38th attempt from the flotilla coalition.

Since 2010, all aid flotilla missions have been either intercepted or attacked by Israeli forces. Aboard the last vessel in July was Chris Smalls, co-founder of the Amazon Labor Union. He and his crewmates were intercepted by Israel and taken into custody, where Smalls was reportedly beaten by IDF soldiers.

As well as activists, journalists and politicians, the most recent flotilla is also carrying large amounts of humanitarian aid. The Italian aid drive was organised by campaign group Music for Peace and Calp, an autonomous port workers’ collective affiliated to USB. While initially hoping to gather 40 tonnes of aid, the drive eventually collected over 250 tonnes.

An estimated 40,000 people took to the streets of Genoa last Saturday in a torchlit procession to mark the ships’ departure.

Andrieu said: “I feel as everyone else aboard the flotilla feels about the [dockworkers’] announcement: moved beyond words.”

“It’s been clear for a long time now that Israel still has the old power structures on its side, but the people of the world are for Gaza and for Palestine – and power structures without people always fall sooner or later.”

He added: “Like the crowds who showed up in their thousands to see us off in Barcelona, the dockworkers’ stance is a powerful expression of love and solidarity for Palestine, and one that we are carrying close to us as we head towards Gaza.”

The Genoese docker worker’s threat is not a one-off protest. USB blocked the passage of ships carrying military equipment in June and August, with workers chanting that they will “not work for war” during last month’s stoppage.

The USB is not alone in its objections to handling military shipments to and from Israel. In Greece, France and Morocco, dockworkers have mobilised against the genocide in Gaza. In Sweden, the national deputy chair of the Dockworkers’ Union was fired after the union blockaded military cargo to and from Israel.

In 2024, the Palestinian Youth Movement launched a campaign targeting shipping giant Maersk, alleging that it has shipped military cargo to Israel during the genocide.

Since 2010, dockworkers have been blockading Israeli ships and military cargo, including in Canada and South Africa. In the United States, the San Francisco-based Arab Resource and Organizing Center organised port blockades in 2014 and 2021.

“When the government fails, labour unions are supposed to be the shield for the working class,” Smalls told Novara Media in an interview in August.

USB was approached for comment.