Italy has stopped again this Friday in, after the one held. This second, which has not been officially authorized, has been summoned in protesting Israel’s assault on the Global Sumud Humanitarian Fleet, which occurred on the night of last Wednesday. But, at the same time, the initiatives do not stop: a new flotilla of 11 ships, which has been sailing in recent days and is gathering in Crete, is already heading to Gaza. According to Italian media, it plans to reach the immediate vicinity of the strip in two days.
It is a joint project with 250 passengers from 25 countries of the Flotilla de la Libertad and Thousand Madleen organizations. It transports 18 tons of humanitarian aid and they go, among others, doctors and journalists. It is the second mission that starts towards Gaza after Israel intercepts the global Sumud, since another even more numerous expedition left Turkey Thursday with 45 vessels.
From another (Italy), the first two ships, one of them with a French flag, departed on September 25. Two days later they did eight more from Catania. Finally, on Tuesday of this week the biggest ship and symbol of the initiative saved again from another. Conscience68 meters and 1,029 tons. It is owned by the Mavi Marmara Foundation, an organization that was born with the compensation that Israel had to pay after already tried to break the blockade of Gaza with humanitarian aid. In that assault, Israeli soldiers killed ten people who were aboard the boat. On May 2 on Conscience He was attacked by drones on the coast of Malta, and now he has returned to sea after being repaired.
As for Wednesday, the Giorgia Meloni government announced Friday that the four opposition parliamentarians traveling in the expedition have already been released. In the afternoon they have arrived at the Airport of Rome. This is Marco Croatti, Annalisa Corrado, Arturo Scotto and Benedetta Scuderi. Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani had maintained several contacts with his Israeli counterpart, Gideon Saar, requesting his immediate release. However, a fifth Italian politician who was traveling in the flotilla is still arrested in Israel and who is not a deputy, Paolo Romano, 29, regional advisor to Lombardy of the Democratic Party (PD).
Unauthorized call
Meanwhile, this Friday in Italy the political tension is high with the general strike in progress, because it had not been authorized. Failure to organize this type of strikes, which need ten days of prior notice. Even so, it was already unstoppable. He had received a general adhesion of the opposition and the union world on the eve. This Friday, after a new night of protests against Israel throughout the country – only in Rome there were 50,000 people in front of the colosseum – the country has dawned with a general blockade of transport, health and education.
Trains have suffered great delays or cancellations in Rome, Milan and other capitals. At the Rome airport, 137 cancellations of exits and 77 arrivals had already occurred early in the afternoon. In addition, demonstrations have been held in 100 cities that have gathered two million people in total, according to CGIL estimates, first Italian union and unemployment promoter. To that of Rome, according to the organizers, 300,000 have come. In Milan, 100,000. In several capitals the protests have occupied highways and stations. There have been clashes with the police in Bologna, Milan and Salerno, among other locations. In Pisa, the protesters have entered the airport track and forced to interrupt the flights. In addition, a great demonstration in Rome of solidarity with Gaza that is planned massive is called on Saturday.
In a general framework, the strike is one more scenario of the confrontation between the right -wing executive of Meloni and the opposition. For the Prime Minister, the members of the Flotilla were “irresponsible”, they have actually acted to attack their government, the Palestinians do not care and who now adds to the general strike does it to have “a long weekend.” Also the ultra -rightist leader of the League and vice president of the Government, Matteo Salvini, has warned, referring to at the Central Station of Milan: “If arrogance and violence prevail, we will know how to react.”
“The Italian squares will be full of overflowing,” said Maurizio Landini, general secretary of CGIL, who has asked Meloni respect: “such a low level sincerely did not expect it,” he said. The charismatic union leader, who has long been rumored that he could make the leap to politics as a candidate on the left, believes that “an intelligent government should be proud of these demonstrations that defend humanity and solidarity.” For Landini, the strike “demonstrates the will of good people who want to stop a genocide.” The opposition leader, Elly Schlein, general secretary of the Democratic Party (PD), has criticized Meloni: “You can’t think of the strike, we are from the workers’ part.”
