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A loud sound of honking vehicles and dockworkers shouting “we don’t want you” greeted an Israel-linked cargo vessel when it arrived in Livorno this week.

For two days, the protesting dockworkers stood their ground, declining to handle the ship’s cargo in a display of defiant solidarity for Palestinians and the international aid convoy striving to bring humanitarian assistance to Gaza. The action was a triumph and the ship, headed to the United States and Canada, departed.

Nationwide Port Protests Spread

From Genoa, Trieste and Ravenna in the northern region, to Salerno and Taranto in the southern area, in recent weeks dock laborers throughout the country have managed in obstructing vessels suspected to be transporting arms for Israel, as resistance to the conflict in the Gaza Strip intensifies.

The workers’ resolve to prevent arms shipments and stifle trade has been a crucial component of the solidarity movement in the nation as pressure mounts on Giorgia Meloni’s conservative administration to take a stronger stance against Israel.

“The Israeli military is conducting an extermination of people in the Gaza Strip – by taking lives, by depriving them of food,” said a port employee, one protester. “We cannot remain indifferent. We have historically been a port of welcome, not one of war. We will keep demonstrating until this hostilities ends.”

General Strike Increases Tension

On the end of the week, many people took to the streets after Italy’s largest trade union called the second general strike in less than two weeks, shutting educational institutions, disrupting transport and creating delays on public transport and in medical services. There were also spontaneous protests on Wednesday night after military vessels stopped the aid convoy and arrested hundreds of activists, including the well-known activist Greta Thunberg.

The incident in the Tuscan port was the first time an vessel from Israel transporting commercial goods had been blocked.

Public Opinion and Government Reaction

Latest polls show significant support among Italians – including a considerable portion of voters of Meloni’s ruling coalition – for the establishment of a independent Palestine and in favor of the humanitarian convoy.

Meloni has spoken against the deaths caused by Israel of Palestinian people in recent months, describing it as a “excessive” response to Hamas’s 7 October 2023 attacks, and has opened up to Italy recognising a Palestinian state, albeit with caveats. But she still attempts to walk a fine line between being one of the strongest supporters of Israel in the EU and a ally of Arab nations, all the while aligning with the policies of the US president, Donald Trump.

Still, she is mindful of public opinion, especially with Italy in the midst of multiple local votes, and has attempted to use the protests and aid mission to criticize her leftwing opponents.

The Prime Minister has characterized the convoy as “dangerous and irresponsible” and, despite the aid effort involving hundreds of activists from various nations, she said it was only aimed at “creating problems” for her administration. Meloni took a swipe at the national walkout, claiming participants of undertaking “a extended break disguised as a political uprising” while claiming the strike was politically orchestrated and offered no real benefit to the people of Gaza.

“The Meloni government can only remain in power with someone to blame,” stated a union leader, who heads the local branch of the major trade union. “There is also a significant inconsistency between what Meloni claims and what she implements,” he continued. “She speaks of being a great patriot, a Christian and a parent, but she has not taken any political or diplomatic action to halt the killing of civilian families.”

Government Standing Despite Unrest

But despite the strong public sentiment shown through the wave of pro-Palestinian protests, the ruling party continues to lead in surveys, at approximately thirty percent, and she has headed an uncharacteristically stable national administration since coming to power in October 2022.

“From one perspective, there is the larger part of the population in solidarity with Gaza which wants an end to the war,” said a political analyst, a co-founder of YouTrend. “But you won’t observe the effects of this when it comes to vote.”

The analyst mentioned last week’s elections in the Marche region where Meloni’s coalition won a second mandate. The similar result is expected in votes in other regions.

He said there was “a real risk of the pro-Palestinian activism having an overly strong of a leftwing identity, which would alienate individuals who are appalled with the violence but who are not pro-Palestinian militants”.

Analyst Insights

A political scientist at New York’s Columbia University and the University of Bologna, said the explanation why the consequences of the protests were not being seen in voting was because only around fifty percent of the electorate go to the polls.

“And those who do, vote for the right,” she said, explaining that the Prime Minister could readily use the protests to disarm rivals.

She said any grassroots activism of citizens was vulnerable to being penetrated by opposing groups, and alleged that this had been happening in order to “discredit and suppress” the solidarity campaign.

Healthcare Community Join

A cardiologist in Rome, has attended several pro-Palestine protests in the Italian capital and marched in the protest near a central square on Friday.

“Recently, there was an event held in medical facilities during which we honored the many healthcare workers killed in Gaza while trying to help people,” she said. “It was a very touching moment and we will keep organizing. You may not observe it in election surveys yet, but I believe this government is becoming very afraid of the people.”