The Italian port of Ravenna on Thursday refused to load two containers filled with explosives for shipment to Israel, following a request by local authorities, according to a statement issued by the city’s municipality.
Ravenna’s mayor, Alessandro Barattoni, said in a statement: Thanks to courageous dockers, we were informed last night of the scheduled arrival today of two containers to the Ravenna port.
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Ravenna, along with provincial leaders and the regional Emilia-Romagna government, are shareholders in the port, which allowed them to block the shipment.
You must choose a side, and Emilia-Romagna and Ravenna know perfectly which: the one of innocent victims and hostages, and not the one of criminal governments and terrorist organizations, the regional leaders said in a statement.
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Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni called Israel’s plan to occupy Gaza unacceptable, but unlike several European countries such as France and Spain, she ruled out recognizing Palestinian statehood, stressing that recognition should only follow the creation of a genuine Palestinian state.
In early June, workers at the port of Marseille in southern France also refused to load containers of military equipment bound for Haifa, saying they would not take part in the genocide being carried out by the Israeli government or become complicit in these massacres.
Middle East Monitor / ABC Flash Point News 2025.
Well done Italian dockworkers. I hadn’t realized they were so principled and militant. We need more of them.
Our leaders refuse to act so we need the workers of the world to stand up for what is right, against genocide and ethnic cleansing and against capitalism.
In the West presidents, prime ministers, and lawmakers for the most part can’t do the right thing, though they honor themselves with pomp and ceremony and five star meals.
But people on the street like these dockworkers can.
And from Egypt I remember the fruit vendor who began grabbing oranges from his stall and tossing them into aid trucks as they passed, after hearing that they were on their way to the border, shouting to the drivers, “take these to Gaza!”.
The world has to change.