Accra: Italians held a major strike on Friday in solidarity with a flotilla, that was intercepted by the Israeli Navy while carrying humanitarian aid towards the Gaza Strip. The strike caused major disruption across the country, with trains and public transport in cities such as Rome and Milan affected.

According to Ghana News Agency, large demonstrations took place in several Italian cities, with tens of thousands reportedly joining marches in the capital as well as Milan, Turin, Florence, and Bologna. Public broadcaster RAI reported that demonstrators blockaded several train stations, while access to the ports of Naples and Genoa was also blocked.

Italy’s largest trade union, the General Confederation of Labour (CGIL), called for a general strike after the Global Sumud Flotilla was intercepted by Israel earlier this week. Israeli authorities took more than 400 crew members from dozens of countries into custody. According to the Foreign Ministry in Rome, 40 Italians were among them, four of whom are members of parliament.

The strike is a direct response to the flotilla being stopped earlier this week, CGIL said, accusing the Italian government of ‘abandoning Italian workers in open international waters.’ CGIL leader Maurizio Landini said in Rome that the nationwide actions showed the ‘humanity and determination of decent people who want to stop a genocide and do what governments and states turn a blind eye to or are even complicit in.’