The Israeli state’s capture and arrest of aid workers, peace campaigners, workers representatives and parliamentarians on the Global Sumud Flotilla has sparked a general strike across Italy. The flotilla vessels, which were aiming to break the Israeli blockade of Gaza to deliver humanitarian aid, much of which was collected from working class areas, to the people of Gaza, were boarded at gunpoint in international waters by the IDF. This follows the IDF’s campaign of harassment of the flotilla at various points on the journey, using small scale incendiary devices.
The flotilla stopped in Genoa, in August, where port workers had organised a mass demonstration of 50,000 throughout the city. They had pledged to boycott handling any goods bound for Israel if the flotilla was not able to successfully complete the delivery of humanitarian aid to Gaza. The Israeli state’s siege, bombardment and starvation of the Palestinians has enraged Italian workers and youth. They also oppose the right-wing Meloni government’s continued backing of these genocidal actions.
USB (Unione Syndicate de Base), a grass roots trade union federation, backed the port workers by declaring a general strike on 22nd September. It was clear, in the run-up to the day, that port workers across Italy alongside transport and school workers were preparing for action, as USB general secretary, Guido Lutrano, called for unified workers action on the day. This forced the largest trade union federation, CGIL, into organising its own partial action on 19th September.
The 22nd September strike closed ports, stopped national and regional trains services and closed schools across Italy. Demonstrations in over 80 cities and towns mobilised tens of thousands of workers, pro-Palestine activists and youth. These strikes, organised in compliance with the Italian anti-trade union laws, broke the log jam holding back the Italian working class. Many now see the plight of the Palestinians also as a proxy for their own struggle against austerity, underemployment and precarious working. Youth see this as a fight for their future. As one USB leader put it, “Let’s stop Israel, let’s stop this government… this day gives us hope”, as he called on members to start a militant campaign against the Meloni government’s school privatisation.
Port workers have openly challenged Meloni’s rule. One of her government’s first acts was to make the blocking of goods from Italian ports illegal, with punishments including imprisonment. This hasn’t stopped workers repeatedly targeting Israeli military shipments.
With two day’s warning, the USB, alongside other smaller trade union federations, and then the CGIL, called a general strike on 3rd October. The news of the flotilla’s capture, which included a Genovese port worker, sparked an immediate response by the youth. University buildings were occupied on some campuses, and impromptu sit-ins and marches took place in others. School students marched in cities including Genoa on the eve of the strike day.
In Genoa, workers assembled to block all access to the ports. Shipping was essentially suspended for 24 hours. There were other assembly points across the city from 8am. Thousands of youth matched or made their way to assembly points alongside workers to match through the city.
50,000 demonstrate in Genoa
The general strike was condemned as illegal by the state but this did not stop 50,000 demonstrating through the streets of Genoa in the morning. A further demonstration took place which led to the occupation of the main train station and the blocking of train lines. The slogan “If Israel blocks aid, we will block everything!”, was demanded.
In the naval port of La Spezia, further along the coast, there was a demonstration of 10,000. In the major cities of Rome, Naples, and Milan there were demonstrations of hundreds of thousands. Other major ports, like Livorno and Ancona, were, occupied. In some cities, riot police attacked workers in an attempt to portray the demonstrations as violent and to give the government an excuse for tougher measures.
However the mass response of the Italian working class is an open challenge to their rule. Matteo Salvini, infrastructure and transport minister in the right-wing coalition government, has threatened to go further to stop any repeat action. But as Maurizio Landini, CGIL General Secretary, said, this is an unprecedented threat to “the right to strike”.
Meloni is now under pressure from the organised working class. The workers’ action has thrown open the floodgates for action on many fronts both economic and political. Meloni’s government has been forced into a less brazen support for the Israeli state by the mass action. They were even forced to send two naval ships to accompany the flotilla for part of its journey towards Gaza, which they subsequently pulled away from the flotilla, four days ago.
Workers and youth are assembling in Rome for another major demonstration. This will lift workers’ confidence to boycott transporting all shipments to Israel despite the threats.
The USB organised an international meeting of port workers to raise the prospect of solidarity action in other Mediterranean ports. This international solidarity would not only be an important lever to ensure the success of future flotillas but could potentially be a big factor in bringing an end to the war.
The organised working class and youth in Italy now has the opportunity to force Meloni from power. Landini claimed he even had papal sanction to act. He was reportedly told, “it is time to make noise, time to give voice to those that don’t have one”. The mass action of the working class and youth on 3 October is a powerful voice that needs a programme to defeat the right wing regime ruling on behalf of the elite in Italian society. This elite has no answers to the crisis of capitalism engulfing Italian society.
The strikes bringing together the workers and youth will open up a new battle for a workers’ electoral list, based on this mass action, to stand on clear socialist policies.