The Port Workers’ Union (OLP), together with trade unions, organisations and collectives, had called a gathering at gate E12 of the port, where the ship, which according to the organisers was carrying soldiers of the Israeli Armed Forces (IDF), arrived.
A heavy police presence was deployed at the scene, while protesters chanted slogans against the genocide in Gaza. A large Palestinian flag was also raised at the port.
In their statement, the OLP dockworkers said: ‘We stand with the common feeling of disgust and condemnation of the ongoing genocide and ethnic cleansing that has been intensively implemented by the Israeli state in Gaza since October 2023. People around the world are demonstrating and demanding an immediate ceasefire and the start of negotiations for the creation of a Palestinian state in accordance with UN resolutions.’
At the same time, they noted that ‘the Israeli forces’ military operations already number 80,000 dead, including thousands of young children, while the genocide continues with 930 dead Palestinians, despite the ceasefire of last October. In the previous days, Netanyahu gave the order to expand the Israeli occupation from 53% to 70% of the territory of Gaza. In the meantime, the attacks by the Israeli state have expanded to Lebanon and Iran with the assistance of the US.’
They also made special reference to Israel’s recent actions against solidarity missions to Gaza, stressing that ‘the two recent Israeli piracy attacks on the Global Sumud Flotilla peacekeeping solidarity fleet in international waters and areas of responsibility for search and rescue belonging to Greece and Cyprus prove that the government of the convicted war criminal Netanyahu, together with his fascist ministers, continues to prevent international aid from reaching Gaza, impoverishing the approximately two million Palestinians despite global outcry.’
The dockworkers called on the Greek government to end all cooperation and facilitation with Israel and to implement the decisions of the International Court of Justice which, they said, condemn genocide.
‘In these circumstances, silence means complicity. We do not remain silent and we demonstrate for peace with justice in Palestine,’ their statement concluded.
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