Major strike in Italy: “We’re stopping everything”

 

Jenny Martorell

 

Published 13:32 | Updated 13:59

The Italians have had enough.

The country has now come to a standstill.

“We’re stopping everything!” the strikers shout.

Broadly speaking, Friday’s general strike in Italy centers on the excessively high cost of living.

The participants—ranging from students to dockworkers—want to withdraw from NATO, arguing that the government is allocating too many resources to the military. Meanwhile, funding for healthcare, education, and other essential public services is far too low—and fuel prices and rents are far too high.

Large-scale protests are taking place across the country. In Bologna, in the north, reports indicate that the entrances to several high schools have been blocked.

“Refusing to load weapons”

In Naples, in the south, police stopped demonstrators who were attempting to divert a train toward the central station, reports the public broadcaster Rai.

“We’re stopping everything! Police, let us through!” the protesters chant.

Marco Bini, of the trade union USB, is participating in the dockworkers’ strike in the port city of Ancona.

“This isn’t just a strike against the high cost of living. Dockworkers are refusing to load or unload weapons. It’s about international solidarity between peoples,” he told the news agency ANSA.

Strike prohibited

Transport workers have been barred from striking. This decision was made by Italy’s Minister of Transport and Deputy Prime Minister, Matteo Salvini, as an “extraordinary measure.” Those who violate the ban may be forced to pay fines ranging from 5,500 to 10,900 kronor—costs that the trade unions have pledged to cover.

In Palermo, a protester calls out through a megaphone that this is a day of anger and resistance:

“They cannot make us pay the price for high living costs and high fuel prices for the sake of their wars.”