John Paul II

Italian general strike in solidarity with Global Sumud Flotilla

Mariela Quintana Melin

Updated 14.42 | Published 12.11

 

Italians on strike in Rome. Photo: Alessandra Tarantino / AP

A million people have taken to the streets across Italy in solidarity with the Global Sumud Flotilla.

Train services have been blocked. In Rome, a statue of the Pope has been draped in a Palestinian shawl.

CGIL, the Italian equivalent of LO, and USB have declared a general strike on Friday in support of the Global Sumud Flotilla.

Among the participants in the Global Sumud Flotilla, which was stopped in international waters by Israel, are several Italian citizens. Among them are several members of parliament. The members of parliament have already been released and are on their way to Rome.

The unions see Israel’s boarding of the convoy’s ships as “an extremely serious incident: a direct attack on the safety of the workers and volunteers on board.”

Schools and health clinics are closed. Public transport is at a standstill.

La Repubblica  reports demonstrations in 100 cities, including Venice, Rome, Milan, Livorno, Genoa and Palermo. One million people are said to have taken part in the demonstrations during the day.

In Bologna, 100,000 people are reported to be taking part in the demonstration. The union leader says that “the whole of Bologna is at a standstill in a way we haven’t seen in 40 years.” At the same time, police and protesters have clashed along the march route.

In Naples, protesters have set off towards the port to occupy it.

In several cities, motorways have been blocked, including the ring road around Milan.

In Florence, over 30,000 people marched. Around fifteen masked protesters went to a train station and invaded the tracks, writes La Repubblica. The protesters are said to have set up barricades to stop train traffic.

In Rome, around 60,000 people took to the streets. There, a statue of Pope Johannes Paulus II  is said to have been dressed in a Palestinian shawl.