Dockworkers at the Italian port of Genoa on Aug. 8 refused to load weapons onto a Saudi vessel destined for the Israeli-occupied territories, defying Italy’s complicity in Israel’s genocidal war against Gaza. The Saudi ship Bahri Yanbu, which arrived from Baltimore, Maryland, the United States, was scheduled to take on military equipment manufactured by the Italian arms conglomerate Leonardo.
This equipment included an Oto Melara cannon destined for Abu Dhabi, and possibly tanks and other heavy weaponry already staged in the terminal yard.
The workers blocked the loading of the cannon and, through on-site inspections at dawn, exposed the ship’s cargo, already filled with weapons, ammunition, explosives, armored vehicles, and tanks. Despite attempts to obstruct their access, around 40 dockworkers, supported by unions USB and CALP, boarded to document the shipment.
Their actions prompted the Port Authority to enter damage-control mode, making vague promises to discuss the establishment of a “permanent observatory on arms trafficking” in September.
However, the dockworkers made their stance clear: “We do not work for war.”
This recent blockade follows a significant incident from late July when dockworkers in Genoa obstructed the unloading of military cargo destined for Israeli-occupied territories after receiving intelligence from Greek unions. These actions are part of a broader trend of international solidarity.