TRIESTE – Around one hundred demonstrators gathered from 6 a.m. this morning at Gate 4 of the Port of Trieste to protest the arrival of the MSC Melani III, coming from Ashdod and bound for Haifa with intermediate calls in Ravenna and Venice. The initiative was organized by Usb Trieste, which declared a strike for the first shift of incoming workers.
According to the grassroots union, the ship is linked to the arms trade. “We don’t know what the cargo is, but it’s clear that this vessel is part of the arms trade to and from Israel,” said Sasha Colautti of Usb. “A strong signal is needed, along with the opening of a dialogue with institutions and the Port Authority.” The demand is also directed at the Government, urged to suspend commercial relations with Israel and impose sanctions on the Middle Eastern state. The protest, which in recent days had already sparked a citywide march in Trieste, ended at 9 a.m. without disrupting flows in and out of the port.
Filt Cgil of Friuli Venezia Giulia also weighed in, issuing a statement calling for “full transparency on arms shipments in regional ports,” citing the right to conscientious objection and the duty of institutions to ensure clarity. The union invoked the application of Italian laws on the arms trade (185/1990 and 84/1994) and announced its willingness to join broader mobilizations, involving workers and civil society, “to stop any act that offends citizens’ conscience and the honor of a country that repudiates war.”
