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A deafening chorus of honking vehicles and port employees shouting “you are not welcome” greeted an Israeli-owned container ship when it docked in Livorno this week.

For 48 hours, the striking dockworkers refused to back down, declining to unload and reload the vessel’s freight in a act of strong support for the people of Gaza and the international aid convoy striving to deliver aid to the besieged territory. The protest was a triumph and the vessel, bound for the United States and Canada, departed.

Countrywide Port Protests Spread

From Genoa, Trieste and Ravenna in the north, to southern harbors in the southern area, in recent weeks dock laborers across Italy have managed in obstructing ships believed to be transporting weapons for Israel, as opposition to the country’s war in the Gaza Strip intensifies.

The dockers’ determination to block weapons and stifle trade has been a crucial component of the solidarity movement in the nation as pressure mounts on Giorgia Meloni’s far-right government to adopt a firmer position against the Israeli government.

“The Israeli military is conducting an systematic destruction of civilians in Gaza – by killing them, by depriving them of food,” said a port employee, one protester. “We cannot remain indifferent. We have always been a harbor of refuge, not one of conflict. We will continue protesting until this hostilities concludes.”

General Strike Increases Tension

On Friday, many people took to the streets after Italy’s largest trade union called the latest nationwide walkout in under 14 days, closing schools, stalling traffic and creating delays on mass transit and in healthcare. There were also spontaneous protests on Wednesday night after Israeli forces intercepted the flotilla and arrested hundreds of activists, including the prominent campaigner Greta Thunberg.

The event in Livorno was the initial instance an Israeli ship transporting general merchandise had been blocked.

Popular Sentiment and Government Reaction

Latest polls show strong backing among the public – including a considerable portion of voters of the governing alliance – for the establishment of a Palestinian state and in support of the flotilla aid mission.

The Prime Minister has spoken against the deaths caused by Israel of Palestinians in the past few months, casting it as a “disproportionate” response to Hamas’s 7 October 2023 attacks, and has opened up to Italy recognising a sovereign Palestine, though with conditions. 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 following the policies of the US president, Donald Trump.

Still, she is mindful of public opinion, especially with the country in the midst of multiple local votes, and has attempted to use the protests and aid mission to attack her political rivals.

The Prime Minister has characterized the convoy as “dangerous and irresponsible” and, despite the humanitarian mission involving hundreds of activists from different countries, she said it was only targeted at “creating problems” for her government. Meloni criticized Friday’s general strike, accusing participants of undertaking “a extended break disguised as a revolution” while claiming the event was organized for political reasons 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 Cgil. “There is also a significant inconsistency between what Meloni claims and what she implements,” he added. “She talks about being a devoted nationalist, a Christian and a parent, but she has not undertaken any official steps to halt the killing of women and children.”

Government Standing Despite Protests

But despite the widespread popular feeling shown through the series of solidarity demonstrations, Meloni’s Brothers of Italy party remains ahead in surveys, at around 30%, and she has headed an unusually steady national administration since coming to power in late 2022.

“From one perspective, there is the larger part of public opinion in solidarity with Gaza which wants an end to the conflict,” said a political analyst, a founder of YouTrend. “But you won’t observe the impact of this when it time to cast ballots.”

The analyst referred to last week’s elections in the central area where the governing alliance secured a second mandate. The same outcome is anticipated in votes in Veneto and Calabria.

Pregliasco said there was “a genuine danger of the [Gaza] movement having an overly strong of a partisan association, which would distance people who are horrified with the violence but who are not active supporters”.

Expert 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 elections 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 leverage the protests to weaken rivals.

She said any grassroots activism of citizens was susceptible to being penetrated by opposing groups, and suggested that this had been occurring in order to “criminalise and repress” the Gaza movement.

Healthcare Professionals Participate

A cardiologist in Rome, has joined multiple demonstrations in the city and marched in the protest near Piazza Vittorio on the strike day.

“Last night, there was an initiative held in Italy’s hospitals during which we remembered the many healthcare workers killed in Gaza while trying to help people,” she stated. “It was a deeply emotional occasion and we will keep organizing. You might not see it in political polls yet, but I believe this administration is starting to be deeply concerned of the people.”