The mobilisation expressed solidarity with Gaza, opposed the Israeli war machine, and denounced the rising military economy at home

~ Cristina Sykes ~

Italy was shaken by a general strike today, called by five base unions—USB, CUB, SGB, ADL Varese and USI-CIT—under the slogan “Block Everthing with Palestine in our hearts”.

From dawn, pickets and blockades spread across the country. In Livorno, dockers and students shut down the Varco Valessini gate to stop arms shipments, calling for enforcement of Italy’s law against weapons exports. In Genoa more than 600 port workers closed the Albertazzi and San Benigno gates, holding firm in heavy rain and halting a ship suspected of carrying containers to Israel. Marghera saw 20,000 marchers push into the port, paralysing operations.

Transport was hit hard. Rail freight stopped for 24 hours, with major delays on north–south lines. In Torino police intervened to clear students blocking the tracks. In Bologna tens of thousands marched from Piazza Maggiore onto the ring road and the A14 motorway, blocking both directions before being attacked with water cannon and tear gas. In Milan clashes broke out at Stazione Centrale. Road haulage workers staged slowdowns at motorway toll booths, adding to the disruption.

Schools and universities were also a focus of action. In Brescia the teaching staffs of entire schools walked out, leaving only a handful of classes running; in Bologna and Torino students blocked campuses and converged in city centres. At Rome’s La Sapienza, students occupied the Faculty of Letters, denouncing the complicity of the academic system in Israel’s war.

The strike’s demands went beyond solidarity with Palestine. The unions denounced Italy’s soaring military expenditure, falling real wages (down 7.5% since 2021), rampant precarity and the lack of an industrial policy. They called for a legal minimum wage of €10 an hour, a 32-hour week over four days, and the scrapping of the Fornero pension reform.

Despite police repression and bad weather, the day demonstrated the capacity of grassroots unions and allied movements to coordinate a national shutdown across strategic sectors. From classrooms to docks, the message was clear: against genocide abroad and austerity at home, workers and students are ready to block everything.

Photos: dire.it, HubAut