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“Western governments are completely accomplices in the Israeli government”
The Genoa Dockers collective:
The collective of dockers of the port of Genoa in Italy, a member of the CALP (autonomous collective collective of port workers) affiliated with the USB union (Unione Sindacale di Base), several members of which are part of the Global Sumud Flotilla, warned that it would block all Italy if the flotilla was attacked or if the communication was interrupted more than twenty minutes. The collective was kind enough to answer a few questions.
Mohsen Abdelmoumen: Do you not think that workers, especially in Western countries, must imperatively refuse to pay the cost of the crisis and the wars of the bourgeoisie?
CALP – USB, Port of Genoa: But yes, of course, we believe, however, that Western workers are well aware that they should not pay the crises or wars, two things which, historically, have always been inseparable.
The fact remains that Western workers, but especially in Italy, have long delegated to the unions to defend them (unions who have now ceased to be alongside workers), too quickly forgetting what workers’ struggles had obtained, forgetting that solidarity and class struggle, united and compact, have always obtained, even if it was sometimes hard and bloody battles.
In your opinion, is not capitalism generating crises and wars and is it not essential to have a great union movement to counter it?
It is certain that capitalism has clearly failed and, like a landslide which descends the valley, it entails with it wars and crises. And yes, we are convinced that the only salvation for workers, and this is not new, is to have a combative union. We, as CALP, have all joined the USB, the Sindacale Di Base (Basic Union Union), definitively abandoning the CGIL (Editor’s note: General Italian Confederation of Labor) several years ago. Starting from the base, all the workers must do their part, because the time of the delegations led us to these shameful confederate unions which are more and more on the side of companies and less and less on the side of the workers: we will then be able to resume confrontation with employers with an incredible force, and we will be able to obtain what has been more and more stolen and refused to allow the companies considerably spending linked to workers, too often to the detriment, in particular, of occupational safety.
Is you not Europe led by an oligarchy where the word democracy does not make sense and where only a handful of billionaires directs and garnishes profits?
We, here, we can only say yes: the question you ask already finds his answer for those who, like us, manage to see beyond the disinformation curtain that these diets in power impose on us through all the information channels, skillfully manipulated in order to disseminate a kind of propaganda of the type “everything is fine, we are the nice and it is the black man” (note: Symbolizing social fears, racism and intolerance) which is always more scary because it is dangerous, so it is he must eliminate ”.
You are very courageous and you have initiated a great movement of support mobilization in favor of the Palestinian people massacred in Ghaza. What can you tell us about this action?
We are not courageous, we are simply normal: we are people, workers, human beings with a conscience, a sense of humanity and respect for others who do not allow us to close our eyes before the horrors that are presented to us every day. All the more so, when the sweat of our work coincides with the possibility of sowing death and destruction, all that we emerged and prevents us from remaining impassive. We cannot allow and we do not want our hands to be soiled with the blood of any human being whatsoever!
We are aware that we are not enough to put an end to arms trafficking, but we are also convinced that we are this grain of sand which comes to lodge in the cogs of arms trafficking, thus becoming a problem, a big problem!
Why is it very important to multiply actions like that of the Global Sumud Flotilla for Ghaza, of which some members of your union are part?
Not only is there a humanitarian reason, which is not negligible, since governments have forgotten the meaning of this word, but there is of course political meaning when the people no longer delegate and mobilize to restore value to the word humanity. And we believe that Western governments fear not only the action of this flotilla, but also that all this bubble of initiatives, movements, positions, etc., can be the beginning of an active popular movement. For example, let us remember how the G8 has flowed the movement of Seattle.
You have initiated several actions in different places by refusing to load weapons towards Israel. Do you not think that all Western governments are accomplices by supporting Israel in their genocide of the Palestinian people in Ghaza? And why do you think Israel has an impunity committed an open-air genocide despite international law?
We will try to provide a unique answer to these two questions. The reason why we have refused is obvious, as we have already written, and it is clear that Western governments are completely accomplices from the Israeli government, allowing it to violate all the resolutions imposed on it, all international, humanitarian, respect and everything that can come to mind.
And the impunity of Israel is even more blatant in the face of the fact that no government, with the exception of a very small number, can afford a sanction, a condemnation, and woe to the one who dares to pronounce the word genocide or brandish a Palestinian flag. We have the example of nations like Germany, which drag behind them a feeling of historical guilt towards the Israeli people, or as the United States, which are the servants par excellence of Israeli economic power. We see an economic power that exercises blind servity, absolute obedience to the whims of the Jewish state, and this, on the part of almost all of the EU.
Unlike the Russian-Ukrainian conflict and the infinite sanctions imposed on the Russian Federation, all that Israel has to do, that is to say that the destruction of hospitals, tent, markets, buildings and cities was made because the Zionists claim that there were members of Hamas, and the world accepts it without even exposing it!
This Thursday 11, a public assembly will be held in Genoa to organize a general strike throughout Italy if the flotilla was to be blocked during its journey to Ghaza. We are even more determined after the provocation of this night in Tunis, where we tried to frighten the activists by attacking them.
What more can I say?
Anti -Zionists and anti -fascists yes, always, anti -Semites no! Good luck to the Global Sumud Flotilla! Hasta la Victoria, Siempre!
Interview carried out
by Mohsen Abdelmoumen