General strike for Palestine threatens to bring Italy to a standstill

 ROME – From trains to schools, from local transport hubs to healthcare. The general strike scheduled for Monday by the basic and general trade unions, in a sign of solidarity with the Palestinian population in the Gaza Strip and in support of the Global Sumud Flotilla, risks bringing Italy to a halt, reports Il Gazzettino.

 A day in which all the sectors will join the movement that will see protests in at least 75 places, starting with Rome, Napoli and Milan. Events that will be followed by the police with maximum attention, who will monitor in particular attention places and interests related to Israel. “We will block everything, with Palestine in our hearts,” declared the slogan used by the USB union to announce the programme of events planned for the day.

 As far as the railway sector is concerned, the staff of the FS Group with Trenitalia announced their adhesion to the strike (except for Calabria) but Italo and Trenord employees will also cross their arms. The strike starts from midnight to 11pm on Monday, and – as announced by FS – could have an impact on rail traffic and result in total and partial cancellations of Frecce, Intercity and Regional trains.

 The guaranteed slots are provided between 6-9am and 18-21pm. Abstention from work was also announced by CUB, SGB, ADL Varese, and USI-CIT for rail freight transport from 9pm on 21 Sept. to the same time on Sept. 22; for highways, 24 hours of stoppage from 10pm onwards on the 21 Sept. and also the entire day for ports.

 The strike in Rome will affect the nocturnal service from 22pm onwards on Sunday 21 Sept. and the daytime ones on Monday 22 Sept. from 8.29 onwards (the first routes will be guaranteed) and then again from 20pm to the end of service. Measures that will apply for ATAC and COTRAL.

 It includes peripheral transport connections and networks, then Autoservizi Troiani/SAP, Autoservizi Tuscia/BIS, ATR and the connections that are made on behalf of ATAC in subcontracting.

 From 7.50 the Roma Termini metro stop, of Lines A and B, closes at the disposal of the authorities.

 The service of daytime lines that have scheduled runs beyond 24 hours will be guaranteed; the night services of the lines 38, 44, 61, 86, 170, 246, 301, 451, 664, 881, 916, 980 and lines 314, 404, 444.

 Also on Monday, as reported by Rome Services for Transport, daytime lines that have scheduled runs beyond midnight will not be guaranteed; night runs on lines 38, 44, 61, 86, 170, 246, 301, 451, 664, 881, 916, 980 and the lines 314, 404, 444. During the night between Monday and Tuesday, however, the nocturnal bus lines will be guaranteed (the ‘n’ lines).

 In Milan, ATM communicates that the service of lines may not be guaranteed from 8:45am to 15pm and from 18pm to the end of the service. From midnight on Sunday, taxis also joined the protests.

 The strike, we read in the ATM announcement, was called due to the worsening "of the humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip, which is the subject of a real genocide by the State of Israel and the continuous robbery of Palestinian territory; total blockade by the Israeli army of humanitarian aid for the exhausted population.

 Serious threats of attack by the Israeli Government against the ships of the global humanitarian mission Global Sumud Flotilla; concrete risk of attack by the Israeli armed forces on the Flotilla ships; inertness of the Italian Government and the European Union in rejecting the serious statements of the ministers Israelis who equate the crews of the GDF to terrorists; unavailability of the European Union and the Italian Government to impose sanctions appropriate to the seriousness of the situation and to interrupt all institutional relations and economic, scientific and political collaboration with the state of Israel.”

 The strike may also have consequences on Trenord's regional, suburban, airport and long-distance service. However, the trains planned in the guaranteed time slots will be guaranteed, from 6 to 9 and from 18 to 21, as per the list of guaranteed trains available.

 Trains scheduled to depart by 23:59 on Sunday 21 September and arriving by 00.59 on Monday 22 September will reach the final destinations as planned. In case of cancellation of airport connections, replacement buses will be activated without intermediate stops between Milan Cadorna and Malpensa Airport, departing from via Paleocapa 1, and between Stabio and Malpensa Airport for the S50 line.

 Trenord, in a note, invites you to pay attention to the official app and the sound announcements and information on the monitors present in the stations.

 GTT, in Turin, will also join the union protest. The Group itself communicated this on its channels, announcing its support for the "political-social protest." As for the urban, suburban and metropolitan service, the guaranteed range is from 6 to 9 and from 12 to 15. The suburban (line 3971 Ciriè - Ceres), starts service until 8, and from 14.30 to 17.30. Not only public transport: taxis will also stop from midnight on Sunday night

 Blockades are also expected in the ports, starting with those of Genoa, Trieste, Ancona and Civitavecchia. Possible problems also in Ravenna, where in recent days the workers have blocked two containers destined for Israel. Under the Lantern, the main appointment is set at 8 in front of the port gates of San Benigno in Albertazzi: most of the demonstrators will gather there with the aim of preventing access to the port gates.

 The Fire Brigade also announced the accession with a protest that will last four hours: from 9 to 13. In the health sector, abstentions are planned from the first shift of the morning.

 School teaching staff and ATA of the Education and Research sector are also on strike. In the mobilisation, called by the acronyms Confsai, Cisle and Conalpe, teachers of public and private schools of all levels are interested.

 Student associations have also announced their presence in the square. Possible suspensions of lectures, laboratories and activities are then planned in universities. As for the demonstrations, eight thousand people are expected in the capital. The appointment is at 11 am in Piazza dei Cinquecento, near Termini station, where Sapienza students will converge in procession.

 In Milan, the procession will start at 10 from Cadorna while in Naples there are two events planned: a procession from Piazza Garibaldi in the morning and one from the former NATO base of Bagnoli in the afternoon. Sit-ins and events planned, moreover, in dozens of cities including Turin, Florence, Ancona, Bari and Palermo.

 In Bologna, various demonstrations were called that pushed the Police Headquarters to put in place a security plan, with about 200 agents and reinforced controls.

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