/Agencia ANSA
The prefect of Livorno, Giancarlo Dionisi, during a meeting at the prefecture with unions and port actors, communicated that he had ordered the container ship ZIM Virginia, linked to the Israeli shipping company ZIM, to leave the local port.
The reason for the prefect’s request is mainly due to concern for public order and safety in light of a general situation that, in view of the events related to the flotilla sailing towards Gaza, could worsen.
“An important result not only for the port community, but for the entire city. The port community of Livorno firmly rejects the genocidal strategy of the Netanyahu government,” said the general secretary of the Confederazione Generale Italiana del Lavoro (CGIL Livorno), Gianfranco Francese.
“The ship ZIM Virginia will not unload or load at the Port of Livorno: another victory of the strike. Thanks to the determination of the port workers, of several citizens, and to the strike called by USB and CGIL in the companies involved in the operations in Darsena Toscana, the ZIM Virginia will leave the Port of Livorno,” communicated the Unione Sindacale di Base (USB) of Livorno.
“In this dramatic moment for the population of Gaza, and while the Global Flotilla is under constant threat from the Israeli army, it was essential to send a strong signal of direct boycott. This time, regardless of whether there were or were not weapons or military equipment on board,” it added.
Regarding the flotilla sailing towards Gaza, the USB emphasized that “we are preparing for a general strike that will be called immediately if the flotilla is attacked. A strike that will involve all categories and that will see us once again in the streets with blockades and demonstrations.”
It should be mentioned that the opposition to the ship ZIM Virginia and, more broadly, to the ships of ZIM Integrated Shipping Services, is part of an international mobilization of port workers who refuse the use of European ports for operations linked to Israeli entities due to the conflict in Gaza, mainly concerning military cargo.
