European Port Workers to Block Arms Shipments to Israel

September 27, 2025 | 02:03 pm

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Dockworkers from across Europe and North Africa have gathered in Genoa, Italy, to coordinate efforts aimed at blocking weapons shipments bound for Israel, amid mounting criticism of the war in Gaza.

The meeting, hosted by Italy’s USB union on Friday and Saturday, September 27, 2025, brought together representatives from Spain, France, Greece, Cyprus, Morocco, and Germany. According to Politico, cited by The National, the unions are working on a joint strategy to disrupt arms flows through European ports.

“We hope to come out of this meeting with a plan for serious, concrete action – both immediate and long-term.,” said Francesco Staccioli, an executive of Italy’s workers’ union confederation.

The immediate focus is the Global Sumud Flotilla, a convoy of 50 humanitarian aid ships headed for Gaza that was struck by Israeli drones in international waters near Greece earlier this week.

Union leaders warned that a sustained blockade of arms shipments could have broader implications, potentially straining Israel’s wider trade relations with the European Union. Still, they remain undeterred.

“What started as a plan for a common front in the autumn — to step up pressure and disrupt arms loading and unloading in European ports — has been reshaped by recent events,” Staccioli said.

The initiative began as a Mediterranean dockworkers’ campaign to make ports “weapon-free zones.” Recent developments—including attempts to halt arms shipments from Piraeus in Greece, Marseille in France, and Genoa—have sharpened the unions’ resolve.

“The flotilla changed the game,” Staccioli told Politico. “It amplified the debate and put Gaza front and centre, demanding strong, immediate intervention.”

Earlier this week, Italian unions also called a general strike in protest of what they described as genocide in Gaza. The USB warned it would block all shipments to Israel if contact is lost with the humanitarian fleet, which includes Swedish activist Greta Thunberg.

Delegates at the Genoa conference are expected to finalize a joint action plan on Friday, while a broader public meeting will bring in other workers from the arms supply chain. Discussions will cover potential strikes to stop the loading and unloading of weapons at European ports.

Several powerful unions are involved in the effort, including Coordinadora from Spain, CGT Port & Docks from France, and ODT from Morocco, which represents dockworkers in Tangier, a key Mediterranean gateway.

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