| Dockworkers | MR Online

Dockworkers in Greece refused to load arms shipment destined for Israel, forced cargo ship to change route

Originally published: In Defense of Communism on June 16, 2024 by In Defense of Communism Staff (more by In Defense of Communism)  | (Posted Jun 19, 2024)

The militant mobilization of dockworkers at Greece’s major port, Piraeus, on Saturday 15 June led to the cancellation of the arrival of “MSC ALTAIR”, a container ship transporting weaponry and ammunition to Israel.

As “Rizospastis” daily reported, MSC ALTAIR began its itinerary from Valencia, Spain and was due to reach Israel via Piraeus. According to information the cargo ship was carrying ammunition and other war material destined to be used by the IDF against the Palestinians in the slaughterhouse of Gaza.

The Dockworkers’ Union ENEDEP in Piraeus declared their firm refusal to provide any facilitation for the cargo ship, thus forcing it to change its route towards Italy.

“We, the Piraeus’ dockworkers declare that we will not accept whatsoever to unload the ship”, they said in a statement, adding:

We won’t participate in the slaughter of innocent people for the profits of the few. We are raising our children with humanity and through our struggles we have taught them the lesson of solidarity, resistance and pride”.

In a statement, the Press Office of the CC of the Communist Party of Greece (KKE) denounced “the arrival at the Piraeus port of cargo ship MSC ALTAIR which among other things is transporting war material with Israel being the final destination […] This is one more proof of the Greek government’s plans for the increasingly deeper involvement of the country in the U.S.-NATO plans and its support towards the “state-murderer” of Israel, at the expense of the struggle of the Palestinian people”.

Monthly Review does not necessarily adhere to all of the views conveyed in articles republished at MR Online. Our goal is to share a variety of left perspectives that we think our readers will find interesting or useful. —Eds.