Italy’s People’s Dispatch reported a significant victory for Italian port workers resisting the militarization of ports, as shipping companies refused to unload military cargo destined for the Israeli army. The containers were sent back to their point of origin.

The USB union stated on Thursday: “We were informed that the three containers carrying military equipment will not be unloaded at Genoa or La Spezia.” They credited this outcome to union pressure and collective action.

This move adds to a growing wave of labor solidarity with Palestine. As the European Dockworkers’ Network put it: “From Greece to Liguria, and with support from French port workers, dockers across Europe and the Mediterranean are proving that stopping war logistics is possible, legitimate, and necessary.”

Port workers in Genoa have vowed to escalate their mobilization against the arms trade. According to Italy’s People’s Dispatch, they plan to hold an international assembly on September 26–27 aimed at laying the groundwork for a sector-wide strike.

Union representatives declared in July: “We are not alone—our struggle connects Marseille, Piraeus, Hamburg, and Tangier. If war comes through the ports, the response must come from the ports.”

The USB logistics union continues to expand its campaign, asserting that strikes are a legitimate tool against war, militarization, and the forced involvement of workers in weapons trafficking. “The law is clear,” the union stated. “War operations are not essential services. A strike is legal when it defends collective safety and the constitutional order. Stopping arms shipments is not just a political choice—it is a right.”

The union emphasizes that their actions disrupt the supply chains fueling massacres and armed conflicts. Their campaign is now backed by growing international solidarity.

Separately, Genova Quotidiana reported that Genoa port workers intercepted a Saudi ship, Bahri Yanbu, carrying weapons bound for Israel. The ship had arrived from the United States loaded with military equipment. Around 40 dockworkers boarded the vessel and documented the cargo, despite attempts by the crew to block access.