Tens Of Thousands Of People In Italy Went On A Huge Nationwide Strike To Protest Israel’s Genocide In Gaza
The strike urged Italy to cut ties with Israel, calling it the only concrete way to respond to the ongoing genocide.
Tens of thousands of Italian workers and students went on a nationwide strike, halting trains, buses, traffic and schools to protest Israel’s genocide in Gaza and demand the government end its arms shipments to Israel.
On Monday, Sept. 22, trade unions representing workers from different sectors organized the 24-hour strike under the slogan “Blocchiamo tutto” or "Let's Block Everything" to protest the country’s complicity in Israel’s genocide in Gaza.
The unions called for "the immediate break-off of relations with the terrorist state of Israel, which is the concrete way in which Italy can, and must, react to the genocide that is taking place", local news reported.
“If we don’t block what Israel is doing, if we don’t block trade, the distribution of weapons and everything else with Israel, we will not ever achieve anything,” a union representative told AP.
Protests took place across 80 cities in Italy, including in Rome, Milan, Bologna, Florence, Naples, Palermo and several others.
Students blocked access to lecture halls and railway stations, chanting “Free Palestine” and waving Palestinian flags, according to Al Jazeera.
In the port cities of Livorno and Genoa in northwestern Italy, dockworkers blocked access to ports.
In Milan, protesters occupied railway stations, causing delays, and some protesters clashed with police after they smashed shop windows and set off smoke bombs.
Police arrested 10 people over the incident in Milan, according to Reuters.
Far-right prime minister Giorgia Meloni condemned the violence in Milan, calling protesters who caused damages “hooligans”.
Opposition leader Elly Schlein said Meloni’s condemnation of a “few hundred demonstrators” overshadowed the “tens of thousands of demonstrators who peacefully demonstrated throughout the country for Gaza”.
“I say this because, while we always condemn political violence, we are still waiting for Giorgia Meloni to condemn Netanyahu's crimes in Gaza and the West Bank, instead of only doing and saying what suits Trump and Netanyahu himself," Schleing said according to local media.
Several European countries, including France, the UK, Spain and Portugal, have recently recognized Palestine as a State and moved to sanction Israel, leaving Italy alone in its support for Israel.
The next day, on Tuesday, Sept. 24, Meloni said she would consider recognizing Palestine as a state if all Israeli hostages are released and Hamas does not hold any government control.
Flavie Chen
Kassy Cho
Cherry Mohamed
