Dockworkers from 21 countries stopped work at 113 ports under the slogan 'We do not work for the war'

International day of action covered 113 ports

On October 30, dockworkers in 21 countries held strikes and demonstrations at 113 ports across five continents, protesting the use of commercial ports for military purposes. Under the slogan 'We do not work for the war,' more than 25 dockworkers' unions took part in the International Day of Action, demanding that ports serve people's needs rather than military operations, according to data from the portal 902, affiliated with the Communist Party of Greece. Strikes and demonstrations took place, among other places, in Greece, France, Italy, India, Turkey, Denmark, Sweden and Germany.

Where and how the actions took place

In Greece, a mass rally was held in the port city of Piraeus, where demonstrators unfurled a large banner near the port reading 'Workers do not work for the war.' Strikes were also held at the ports of Patras and Piraeus, while in Thessaloniki a three-hour work stoppage reportedly paralyzed more than 200 containers and trucks. In France, hundreds of workers at the port of Fos-sur-Mer, west of Marseille, joined the action under slogans against war and the militarization of ports. In the Italian city of Reggio Calabria, dockworkers were supported by workers and young people with placards and pickets, while in Germany young dockworkers and apprentices held a solidarity action at the port of Hamburg.

Unions against the militarization of ports

The Swedish Dockworkers' Union spoke out against the militarization of European ports and warned about the use of security legislation to restrict union activity and pressure workers. In Denmark, unions and federations stated that dockworkers must not be made complicit in wars or war crimes through the transport of weapons. In India, dockworkers and seafarers joined the international action with the demand for 'ports of peace and decent work.'

Campaign linked several ports to arms shipments to Israel

According to the No Harbour for Genocide campaign, several participating ports — Genoa, Livorno and Gioia Tauro in Italy, Marseille in France, Piraeus in Greece and Tangier in Morocco — had previously been linked to arms shipments to Israel. The campaign also reported that from August 2025 to September 2026 it tracked 315 shipments of components for Israel's largest arms manufacturer, Elbit Systems, which passed through 56 commercial ports in 29 countries. This information comes from the campaign itself; no independent verification is described in the Anadolu publication.