Italian dockworkers blockade Genoa port during nationwide strike

GENOA, ITALY - OCT. 30: Dockworkers and students blocked the port entrance in Genoa on Friday, igniting tires to barricade roads as part of a 24-hour nationwide general strike against rising living costs and global arms shipments.

The Genoa blockade coincided with similar port closures in La Spezia and Naples.

Jose Nivoi, a local dockworker, told Anadolu that the strike aligned with an international action spanning 115 ports across five continents. He emphasized that workers refuse to facilitate war or bear its economic fallout, citing unchecked inflation, surging fuel and mortgage costs, and the deterioration of public health and education systems.

The port closures accompanied broader national protests led by the Union of Base Trade Unions (USB) and supported by student groups.

Demonstrators marched across major cities, including Rome, Milan, Turin, and Bologna, to denounce increased military spending.

While demonstrations in Milan concluded peacefully after temporarily blocking traffic, clashes erupted elsewhere.

In Rome, protesters threw flares at government buildings and clashed with police near the Colosseum. Meanwhile, security forces in Turin and Bologna deployed batons and water cannons to disperse crowds following scuffles.