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

For 48 hours, the protesting port laborers stood their ground, declining to unload and reload the ship’s cargo in a act of defiant solidarity for Palestinians and the international aid convoy striving to deliver humanitarian assistance to the besieged territory. The protest was successful and the ship, headed to the US and Canada, departed.

Countrywide Harbor Protests Expand

From Genoa, Trieste and Ravenna in the north, to Salerno and Taranto in the south, in recent weeks dock laborers throughout the country have managed in obstructing ships believed to be transporting weapons for the Israeli military, as opposition to the conflict in Gaza intensifies.

The workers’ resolve to prevent arms shipments and stifle trade has been a key element of the solidarity movement in the nation as pressure mounts on Giorgia Meloni’s conservative administration to adopt a firmer position against Israel.

“Israel is carrying out an extermination of people in Gaza – by taking lives, by depriving them of food,” stated a port employee, one protester. “We cannot remain indifferent. We have always been a port of welcome, not one of conflict. We will keep demonstrating until this war concludes.”

General Strike Increases Tension

On Friday, thousands took to the streets after Italy’s largest trade union organized the latest nationwide walkout in less than two weeks, shutting educational institutions, stalling traffic and causing disruption on mass transit and in medical services. There were also impromptu demonstrations on midweek after Israeli forces intercepted the flotilla and detained numerous participants, including the well-known activist Greta Thunberg.

The event in Livorno was the first time an vessel from Israel carrying general merchandise had been prevented from docking.

Public Opinion and Government Reaction

Recent surveys show strong backing among the public – including a substantial share 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 Israel’s killing of Palestinian people in recent months, describing it as a “disproportionate” response to Hamas’s 7 October 2023 attacks, and has expressed willingness to the country recognizing a sovereign Palestine, though with conditions. But she continues trying to maintain the delicate balance between being one of Israel’s staunchest allies in the European Union and a ally of Middle Eastern countries, all the while following the policies of the American leader, the former president.

Still, she is mindful of voter sentiment, especially with the country in the throes of multiple local votes, and has attempted to exploit the demonstrations and aid mission to criticize her political rivals.

Meloni has described the flotilla as “dangerous and irresponsible” and, despite the humanitarian mission involving hundreds of activists from different countries, she said it was only aimed at “creating problems” for her government. She criticized the national walkout, claiming participants of undertaking “a extended break masquerading as a revolution” while claiming the strike was organized for political reasons and provided little help to Gaza.

“The current administration can only remain in power with someone to blame,” claimed a union leader, who heads the local branch of Cgil. “There is also a significant inconsistency between what the Prime Minister claims and what she does,” he continued. “She talks about being a great patriot, a Christian and a mother, but she has not taken any political or diplomatic action to halt the killing of women and children.”

Government Standing Amid Unrest

But despite the widespread popular feeling shown through the wave of pro-Palestinian protests, Meloni’s Brothers of Italy party continues to lead in polls, at approximately thirty percent, 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 cessation to the war,” explained Lorenzo Pregliasco, a co-founder of YouTrend. “But you don’t see the impact of this when it time to cast ballots.”

The analyst mentioned last week’s elections in the Marche region where the governing alliance won a another term. The same outcome 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 distance people who are appalled with the war but who are not pro-Palestinian militants”.

Expert Insights

Nadia Urbinati at an American university and the University of Bologna, said the reason why the consequences of the protests were not being reflected in voting was because barely half of Italian voters participate in elections.

“And those who do, vote for the right,” she said, explaining that Meloni could easily leverage the unrest to disarm rivals.

She said every spontaneous movement of the public was vulnerable to being infiltrated by opposing groups, and alleged that this had been occurring in order to “criminalise and repress” the Gaza movement.

Medical Professionals Join

Susanna Romitelli in Rome, has attended several pro-Palestine protests in the Italian capital and participated in the rally near Piazza Vittorio on Friday.

“Last night, there was an event held in Italy’s hospitals during which we remembered the many healthcare workers killed in Gaza while providing aid,” she stated. “It was a deeply emotional occasion and we will keep organizing. You may not observe it in political polls yet, but I think this government is becoming very afraid of the people.”