Dock workers at a port in Southern France have refused to load a shipment containing parts of machine guns scheduled to travel to Israel.
The port of Fos-sur-Mer, outside Marseille, was instructed to load crates full of links required to aid rapid-fire bullets. Used primarily in machine guns, these links help connect the bullets inside the gun, enabling its rapid firing.
As a protest against Israeli military actions in Gaza, the dock workers’ union leader, Christophe Claret, stated that they had been informed of the scheduled shipment due to be loaded on Thursday.
Having identified and isolated the crates, the dock workers’ refusal to load the ship was a “clear refusal to participate in the ongoing genocide orchestrated by the Israeli government.”
In support of the dock workers, General Confederation of Labour (CGT) union secretary general Sophie Binet said, “We are very proud of this action led by our comrades and which is part of the CGT’s long internationalist tradition for peace.”
The CGT also called on the French government to “immediately block all arms deliveries to the State of Israel.”
Leaders of the Leftist French, including Olivier Faure, and the Socialist Party, supported the action, clearly stating that “humanism is not for sale.”
Additional investigations into maritime data have revealed that two other arms shipments have left the port of Marseille-Fos and travelled to the Israeli port of Haifa.
Two shipments, departing on April 3rd, and the other on May 22nd, were allegedly sent to Israel for re-export, according to a statement by French Defence Minister Sebastien Lecornu. He denied any usage of French arms in Israel’s military action in Gaza.
The dock workers’ action came just after French President Emmanuel Macron stated that he would decide whether strict action against the Israeli offensive would be taken.
In a joint press conference with Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, both leaders condemned the Israeli military’s actions and accused Israel of “premeditated genocide in the Gaza Strip.”
