Padova, 02/10/2025 – This morning, only hours after the arrest of several Global Sumud Flotilla boats by Israel, a group of Extinction Rebellion activists chained themselves to the gates of the main cargo terminal in Padova, northern Italy, blocking the passage of carriers for several hours under the slogan “For Palestine, we block everything.” One of the trucks nearly ran into the demonstrators during the sit-in.

Arriving in the morning, the activists sat down and locked themselves to the bars of the main entrance, creating a human barrier to stop international carriers from entering. A truck did not stop and advanced toward the chained protesters, who were unable to move and risked being hit. At the exit gate, others displayed the Palestinian flag and chanted slogans in support of Gaza and the Global Sumud Flotilla. The cry “For Palestine, we block everything” echoed across Italy after the flotilla arrests, from Rome to Genoa, Turin to Milan.

“This action has both symbolic and material meaning. Symbolic, because it shows the strength of civil disobedience; material, because it aims to inflict economic damage on an entity that is part of the logistics chain of trade relations with Israel,” declared Irene.

The terminal, established in 1973, is one of the core intermodal infrastructures of the TEN-T European network. It is partly owned by the Municipality of Padua, the Province, and the Chamber of Commerce. On July 21, 2025, the City Council approved a resolution to adopt measures responding to Israel’s conduct and the worsening crisis in Gaza. However, no contracts have been revoked, no official list of companies has been published, and no sanctions are in place.

Carriers operating in the terminal include MSC, Maersk, and CMA CGM, which maintain connections with Israel. MSC holds offices in Ashdod, Haifa, and Tel Aviv. “Given these connections, the terminal was chosen as a symbol of economic complicity with a state that continues to violate international law. In the last ten years, Israel has ignored more than 174 UN resolutions,” stated Elisabetta.

Extinction Rebellion declared that with this action it shows solidarity with the Palestinian people and the Global Sumud Flotilla, “because, where international law and governments fail, civil society raises its voice through civil disobedience against every form of normalized complicity.”

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