Italy Sees Nationwide Strike Over Rearmament, Gaza Genocide

(MENAFN) Italy was swept by a nationwide general strike Monday as tens of thousands took to the streets in opposition to the government's rearmament agenda and in solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza — bringing transport networks across the country to a standstill.

Organized under the rallying cry "We block everything," the stoppage was called by the USB union alongside a coalition of civil society groups, channeling widespread anger over soaring living costs, surging military expenditure, and what demonstrators characterized as a government choosing weapons over hospitals and classrooms.

Protesters also trained their sights on Israel's ongoing offensive in Gaza, voicing loud support for the Global Sumud Flotilla — a civilian aid initiative seeking to breach the blockade on the Palestinian territory. Crowds in Rome converged on Piazza Cinquecento, many brandishing Palestinian flags and demanding Rome sever what they called its complicity with Israel. Chants of "Free Palestine" reverberated throughout the demonstrations.

The industrial action left a visible mark on Italy's transit infrastructure. In Rome, an entire metro line was suspended; Naples saw a metro line shut down; Milan experienced disruptions to suburban rail services; and port workers in Livorno staged their own walkout.

The Rome rally drew a particularly charged presence — Saif Abukeshek, a Palestinian-origin Spanish activist previously detained during a maritime confrontation with Israeli forces, addressed the crowd. Speaking to media, he condemned recent interceptions of flotilla vessels in international waters as breaches of international law, tying them directly to criticism of Italy's arms export policies.

The flotilla's fate added fresh urgency to the protests. The Israeli army on Monday attacked and intercepted the Gaza-bound Global Sumud humanitarian flotilla in international waters, detaining approximately 100 activists as the mission sought to break Israel's blockade on the Palestinian enclave.

Fellow protester Andrea Ziccaro framed the strike as a rejection of what he termed a "war economy," arguing that funneling resources into military spending inevitably hollows out social services. Natalia Mancini, another demonstrator, said the flotilla incidents had torn away the "mask" of what she called the so-called democracies.

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