Italy Shuts Down for a Day Due to Pro-Palestinian Protests

Italy was brought to a standstill on Monday, September 22, as dockworkers in Genoa, together with unions across the country, launched strikes and protests in solidarity with the people of Palestine.

The day-long action, part of a larger national movement, aimed to pressure the government to halt Italian ports' role in supplying arms to Israel during its ongoing operations in Gaza. 

In northern Italy, dockers blocked access roads leading to the port of Genoa, while similar actions took place in Livorno and Trieste. Protesters waved Palestinian flags and expressed concern over ports possibly being used to facilitate arms transfers to Israel.

Disruptions also stretched into other sectors: many Italian schools were closed, and regional train services—particularly those to Rome—faced cancellations and delays. Meanwhile, metros in major cities like Rome and Milan operated with fewer interruptions. 

The Italian government, led by Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, has traditionally supported Israel; however, these protests suggest growing unease within parts of her coalition.

Transport Minister Matteo Salvini characterized the strike as largely driven by far-right unions, downplaying its broader significance. Still, the disruptive impact of the protests forced attention onto the humanitarian crisis in Gaza and pushed calls for Italy to reconsider its commercial and military cooperation with Israel.

While airlines largely operated as normal, the broader mobilization—school closures, port blockades, transport delays—underscored widespread public frustration over the conflict in Gaza and Italy’s role in global arms supply chains.

Unions emphasized their protest was a moral stand: to ensure that Italian infrastructure and labor weren’t complicit in what many see as a humanitarian crisis