Israeli attacks on Sumud Humanitarian flotilla sparks international outrage
Global Working Class Rallies in Solidarity—Italy Spain UK Erupt in Mass Protests and Strikes
On the flotilla protest in London — Picture: Guy Smallman
In a brazen act of maritime aggression, Israeli naval forces intercepted the unarmed humanitarian “Sumud” flotilla in international waters, violently boarding civilian vessels carrying medical supplies and food for besieged Gaza. The assault—condemned by legal experts as a violation of international law—has ignited a wave of militant solidarity across Europe, with Italy emerging as a new front of mass working-class resistance.
From Piazza to Port: A General Strike for Gaza
Tens of thousands flooded the streets of Rome, Milan, Genoa, Naples, Turin, and Pisa in spontaneous, furious demonstrations. Chants of “Free Palestine!” and “Meloni Resign!” echoed through city centers as protesters blocked train lines and occupied public squares.
In a historic escalation, Italy’s largest labor federations—CGIL and USB—declared a general strike and announced coordinated port blockades. Dockworkers in Genoa, Trieste, and Naples halted all shipments linked to Israeli operations, grounding maritime commerce in a direct act of proletarian internationalism.
Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini denounced the actions as “chaos,” while Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni urged “restraint” and proposed rerouting aid through the Latin Patriarchate—a move widely seen as an attempt to depoliticize and neutralize grassroots solidarity.
Solidarity Without Borders
The attack on the Sumud flotilla has unified the European working class in unprecedented ways:
- Spain: Massive rallies in Madrid and Barcelona demanded an end to the Gaza blockade and EU complicity.
- United Kingdom: Activists occupied major train stations, disrupting capital flows and declaring: “No business as usual while Gaza is starved.”
- Italy: The labor movement transformed outrage into material action—striking, blocking ports, and linking workplace power to anti-imperialist struggle.
This is not charity. It is class solidarity in its most militant form—workers using their collective leverage to strike at the logistics of empire.
From Mavi Marmara to Sumud
The 2010 massacre of the Mavi Marmara flotilla—where Israeli commandos killed 10 activists—was meant to deter future challenges. Instead, it exposed the settler-colonial state’s reliance on terror to enforce its illegal blockade.
Fifteen years later, the attack on Sumud confirms the same logic: any peaceful attempt to breach Gaza’s isolation will be met with disproportionate violence. Yet each assault only deepens global resolve. The flotilla’s name—Sumud, meaning “steadfastness”—now echoes from Mediterranean decks to Italian docks.
The message is clear: the working class will not look away. We see the starvation. We see the piracy. And we are organizing across borders to stop it.
