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A loud chorus of honking vehicles and dockworkers chanting “we don’t want you” welcomed an Israeli-owned cargo vessel when it arrived in Livorno this week.

For two days, the striking port laborers refused to back down, refusing to handle the vessel’s freight in a act of defiant solidarity for Palestinians and the international aid convoy striving to bring aid to Gaza. The protest was successful and the ship, headed to the United States and Canada, departed.

Countrywide Port Protests Expand

From Genoa, Trieste and Ravenna in the north, to southern harbors in the south, in recent weeks dock laborers across Italy have succeeded in blocking vessels believed to be carrying arms for Israel, as opposition to the conflict in Gaza intensifies.

The dockers’ determination to prevent arms shipments and stifle trade has been a key element of the solidarity movement in the nation as demands mounts on Giorgia Meloni’s far-right government to adopt a firmer position against Israel.

“Israel is carrying out an extermination of civilians in Gaza – by taking lives, by starving them,” said a port employee, Luca Simoni. “We cannot remain indifferent. We have always been a port of welcome, not one of conflict. We will continue protesting until this hostilities ends.”

General Strike Adds Tension

On Friday, thousands took to the streets after Italy’s largest trade union organized the second general strike in less than two weeks, shutting educational institutions, stalling traffic and creating delays on mass transit and in medical services. There were also spontaneous protests on Wednesday night after Israeli forces stopped the aid convoy and arrested hundreds of activists, including the prominent campaigner Greta Thunberg.

The event in Livorno was the initial instance an Israeli ship carrying general merchandise had been prevented from docking.

Popular Sentiment and Government Reaction

Recent surveys show significant support among Italians – including a considerable portion of voters of the governing alliance – for the recognition of a independent Palestine and in support of the flotilla aid mission.

The Prime Minister has criticised Israel’s killing of Palestinians in recent months, casting it as a “excessive” reaction to the militant group’s assault, and has opened up to the country recognizing a Palestinian state, though with conditions. But she continues trying to maintain the delicate balance between being one of the strongest supporters of Israel in the EU and a friend of Middle Eastern countries, all the while aligning with the policies of the US president, Donald Trump.

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

Meloni has characterized the flotilla as “risky and reckless” and, despite the aid effort involving many participants from different countries, she said it was only aimed at “causing difficulties” for her administration. She took a swipe at Friday’s general strike, claiming participants of undertaking “a extended break masquerading as a revolution” while stating the event was politically orchestrated and provided little help to Gaza.

“The current administration can only survive with scapegoats,” claimed Gianfranco Francese, who heads the Livorno unit of Cgil. “There is also a significant inconsistency between what Meloni claims and what she implements,” he continued. “She speaks of being a devoted nationalist, a Christian and a parent, but she has not taken any official steps to stop the killing of civilian families.”

Political Stability Amid Unrest

But despite the widespread popular feeling shown through the wave of pro-Palestinian protests, Meloni’s Brothers of Italy party remains ahead in surveys, at approximately thirty percent, and she has headed an uncharacteristically stable national administration since taking office in October 2022.

“From one perspective, there is the majority of the population in supporting Palestinians which desires an cessation to the war,” said Lorenzo Pregliasco, a co-founder of YouTrend. “But you don’t see the effects of this when it time to cast ballots.”

The analyst mentioned last week’s elections in the central area where Meloni’s coalition won a another term. The same outcome is expected in elections in Veneto and Calabria.

He said there was “a real risk of the [Gaza] movement having too much of a partisan association, which would alienate individuals who are horrified with the war but who are not pro-Palestinian militants”.

Expert Insights

Nadia Urbinati at an American university and the an Italian institution, said the reason why the consequences of the protests were not being seen in voting was because barely half of Italian voters go to the polls.

“And those who do, support conservative parties,” she said, noting that Meloni could easily leverage the unrest to weaken opponents.

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

Healthcare Professionals Join

A cardiologist in the capital, has attended multiple demonstrations in the Italian capital and participated in the rally near Piazza Vittorio on Friday.

“Recently, there was an initiative held in Italy’s hospitals during which we remembered the thousands of medics killed in Gaza while providing aid,” she stated. “It was a deeply emotional occasion and we will continue to mobilise. You may not observe it in political polls yet, but I believe this administration is becoming very afraid of the people.”