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A deafening sound of honking vehicles and dockworkers shouting “you are not welcome” welcomed an Israeli-owned container ship when it docked in the Tuscan port city this week.

For 48 hours, the protesting port laborers refused to back down, declining to unload and reload the ship’s cargo in a display of strong support for the people of Gaza and the international aid convoy striving to bring aid to the besieged territory. The protest was successful and the ship, bound for the US and Canada, departed.

Countrywide Harbor Protests Spread

From northern ports in the north, to Salerno and Taranto in the southern area, in recent weeks port workers throughout the country have succeeded in blocking ships suspected to be carrying arms for Israel, as opposition to the conflict in Gaza intensifies.

The dockers’ determination to block weapons and disrupt commerce has been a key element of the solidarity movement in the nation as demands increases on Giorgia Meloni’s conservative administration to take a stronger stance against Israel.

“The Israeli military is conducting an extermination of civilians in Gaza – by taking lives, by starving them,” stated a port employee, one protester. “We must not stay silent. We have historically been a harbor of refuge, not one of conflict. We will continue protesting until this hostilities ends.”

General Strike Increases Pressure

On the end of the week, many people took to the streets after Italy’s largest trade union organized the latest nationwide walkout in less than two weeks, closing schools, disrupting transport and creating delays on public transport and in medical services. There were also spontaneous protests on Wednesday night after Israeli forces intercepted the flotilla and arrested numerous participants, including the prominent campaigner Greta Thunberg.

The event in the Tuscan port was the first time an Israeli ship transporting commercial goods had been blocked.

Public Opinion and Government Response

Recent surveys show strong backing among the public – including a substantial share of voters of Meloni’s ruling coalition – for the recognition of a Palestinian state and in favor of the flotilla aid mission.

Meloni has spoken against the deaths caused by Israel of Palestinians in the past few months, casting it as a “disproportionate” reaction to the militant group’s assault, and has opened up to the country recognizing a sovereign Palestine, albeit with caveats. But she still attempts to maintain the delicate balance between being one of the strongest supporters of Israel in the European Union and a ally of Arab nations, all the while aligning with the line of the US president, the former president.

Still, she is aware of voter sentiment, especially with Italy in the throes of several regional elections, and has attempted to use the protests and aid mission to criticize her leftwing opponents.

Meloni has characterized the convoy as “risky and reckless” and, despite the humanitarian mission involving hundreds of activists from different countries, she said it was only targeted at “causing difficulties” for her government. Meloni took a swipe at Friday’s general strike, claiming participants of undertaking “a long weekend masquerading as a political uprising” while stating the strike was politically orchestrated and offered no real benefit 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 great contradiction between what the Prime Minister claims and what she does,” he added. “She talks about being a devoted nationalist, a Christian and a mother, but she has not undertaken any political or diplomatic action to halt the massacre of women and children.”

Government Standing Despite Unrest

But despite the strong public sentiment reflected by the series 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 Italian government since taking office in October 2022.

“On one hand, there is the larger part of public opinion in supporting Gaza which wants an end to the war,” explained a political analyst, a founder of a polling firm. “But you won’t observe the effects of this when it time to cast ballots.”

The analyst referred to last week’s elections in the Marche region where the governing alliance won a second mandate. The same outcome is anticipated in elections in other regions.

He said there was “a genuine danger 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”.

Analyst Insights

Nadia Urbinati at New York’s Columbia University and the University of Bologna, said the reason why the effects of the demonstrations were not being reflected in voting was because barely half of Italian voters go to the polls.

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

She said any grassroots activism of the public was vulnerable to being penetrated by antagonists, and suggested that this had been occurring in order to “discredit and suppress” the Gaza movement.

Medical Professionals Participate

A cardiologist in Rome, has joined several pro-Palestine protests in the Italian capital and marched in the rally near Piazza Vittorio on the strike day.

“Recently, there was an initiative held in medical facilities during which we honored the many healthcare workers who died in Gaza while providing aid,” she said. “It was a very touching moment and we will continue to mobilise. You may not observe it in election surveys yet, but I think this government is starting to be very afraid of the people.”