'Starting to be very afraid': Italy's Palestinian Protests Increase Political Strain on Prime Minister Meloni

A piercing sound of honking vehicles and dockworkers shouting “we don’t want you” welcomed an Israeli-owned container ship when it arrived in the Tuscan port city this week.

For 48 hours, the striking port laborers refused to back down, refusing to unload and reload the vessel’s freight in a display of strong support for the people of Gaza and the Global Sumud flotilla striving to bring aid to the besieged territory. The protest was a triumph and the ship, bound for the US and Canada, left the port.

Countrywide Harbor Protests Spread

From northern ports in the north, to Salerno and Taranto in the south, in recent weeks dock laborers across Italy have managed in blocking vessels believed to be carrying weapons for Israel, as resistance to the country’s war in Gaza grows stronger.

The workers’ resolve to prevent arms shipments and disrupt commerce has been a key element of the solidarity movement in the nation as pressure mounts on Giorgia Meloni’s conservative administration to take a stronger stance against Israel.

“Israel is carrying out an systematic destruction of people in Gaza – by taking lives, by depriving them of food,” said a port employee, one protester. “We cannot remain indifferent. We have always been a harbor of refuge, not one of war. We will keep demonstrating until this war concludes.”

General Strike Increases Tension

On the end of the week, thousands demonstrated after Cgil organized the second general strike in under 14 days, shutting educational institutions, disrupting transport and causing disruption on mass transit and in medical services. There were also spontaneous protests on Wednesday night after Israeli forces stopped the aid convoy and arrested hundreds of activists, including the well-known activist the environmental advocate.

The incident in the Tuscan port was the initial instance an vessel from Israel transporting general merchandise had been blocked.

Public Opinion and Government Response

Latest polls show strong backing among the public – including a substantial share of supporters of the governing alliance – for the recognition of a independent Palestine and in favor of the flotilla aid mission.

The Prime Minister has spoken against the deaths caused by Israel of Palestinian people in recent months, describing it as a “excessive” reaction to Hamas’s 7 October 2023 attacks, and has expressed willingness to the country recognizing a sovereign Palestine, albeit with caveats. But she still attempts to maintain the delicate balance between being one of Israel’s staunchest allies in the EU and a ally of Middle Eastern countries, all the while following the line of the American leader, Donald Trump.

Still, she is mindful of public opinion, especially with Italy in the midst of multiple local votes, and has attempted to exploit the protests and aid mission to criticize her leftwing opponents.

Meloni has characterized the convoy as “dangerous and irresponsible” and, despite the aid effort involving hundreds of activists from various nations, she said it was only targeted at “creating problems” for her administration. She took a swipe at the national walkout, claiming participants of undertaking “a extended break masquerading as a political uprising” while claiming the strike was organized for political reasons and provided little help to the people of Gaza.

“The current administration can only survive with scapegoats,” claimed Gianfranco Francese, who heads the Livorno unit of Cgil. “There is also a great contradiction between what Meloni claims and what she does,” he continued. “She speaks of being a devoted nationalist, a Christian and a mother, but she has not undertaken any political or diplomatic action to stop the killing of civilian families.”

Government Standing Amid Protests

But despite the strong public sentiment shown through the wave of pro-Palestinian protests, the ruling party remains ahead in polls, at approximately thirty percent, and she has headed an uncharacteristically stable national administration since taking office in late 2022.

“From one perspective, there is the larger part of public opinion in supporting Palestinians which desires an end to the war,” said a political analyst, a founder of YouTrend. “But you won’t observe the effects of this when it time to cast ballots.”

Pregliasco referred to recent regional votes in the central area where the governing alliance secured a second mandate. The same outcome is expected in votes in other regions.

He said there was “a real risk of the [Gaza] movement having an overly strong of a partisan association, which would alienate people who are appalled with the violence but who are not pro-Palestinian militants”.

Expert Insights

A political scientist at New York’s Columbia University and the University of Bologna, said the reason why the consequences of the protests were not being seen in elections was because only around fifty percent of the electorate go to the polls.

“And the ones who vote, vote for the right,” she said, noting that the Prime Minister could easily use the protests to weaken opponents.

She said any grassroots activism of the public was susceptible to being penetrated by antagonists, and suggested that this had been happening in order to “criminalise and repress” the Gaza movement.

Healthcare Professionals Participate

A cardiologist in Rome, has joined multiple pro-Palestine protests in the Italian capital and participated in the rally near Piazza Vittorio on the strike day.

“Last night, there was an event held in medical facilities during which we remembered the many healthcare workers who died in the conflict zone while providing aid,” she said. “It was a deeply emotional occasion and we will keep organizing. You may not observe it in political polls yet, but I think this government is starting to be very afraid of us.”