Italian dock workers refuse to resupply Saudi ‘weapons’ ship

Italian dock workers refuse to resupply Saudi ‘weapons’ ship
https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20200218-italian-dock-workers-refuse-t...
February 18, 2020 at 2:23 pm | Published in: Europe & Russia, Italy, Middle East, News, Saudi Arabia
A picture taken on May 9, 2019 from northern port of Le Havre, shows Saudi cargo ship Bahri Yanbu (R) next to British crude oil tanker Nordic Space (L) waiting in the port of Le Havre. - French President defended his country's arms sales to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates on 9 May 2019 [JEAN-FRANCOIS MONIER /AFP/Getty]
February 18, 2020 at 2:23 pm

notorious Saudi cargo ship suspected of carrying arms to be used in the war in Yemen.

This is the latest in a string of protests by anti-war activists against the ship as it has made its way to various European ports.

At the end of last month, the Bahri Yanbu was blocked from docking in Bremerhaven, Germany, after Amnesty International sought legal action through the courts. It was then prevented from docking in Antwerp, Belgium, by “citizen weapons inspectors” before moving onto Britain where it was faced with further protests; it had to dock in Sheerness, instead of the scheduled stop at Tilbury.

Sailing onto the French port of Cherbourg, the Bahri Yanbu was greeted with yet more activists holding signs saying “War crimes in Yemen” and “Made in France”, a reference to French weapons which were suspected of being loaded onto the ship. In the Spanish port of Bilbao, Greenpeacereported that explosive material had been put on board.

After Antwerp, Tilbury, Cherbourg and Bilbao, dockworkers and activists in Genova are protesting against the arrival of the #BahriYanbu today.

Want to know all about the actions against the Bahri Yanbu? Check out this article from @CAATuk https://blog.caat.org.uk/2020/02/17/resisting-the-saudi-arms-ship/?fbcli...https://twitter.com/amnestyitalia/status/1229332154775166977

Resisting the Saudi arms ship
Solidarity with allies in Italy today, protesting against the arrival of Saudi Arabian cargo ship the Bahri Yanbu.
blog.caat.org.uk
Amnesty Italia

@amnestyitalia
Da questa mattina alle sette siamo con i portuali e altre realtà della società civile al porto di Genova per chiedere la chiusura del porto alle armi. La nave saudita Bahri Yanbu deve essere fermata!

6
06:19 - 17 Feb 2020

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READ: Anti-war activists force Saudi ‘weapons’ ship to reroute again

The Italian dock workers went on strike last year in a dispute about loading the same Saudi vessel and are planning further action later this year. They were reported to be going on strike and were joined by other organisations yesterday when the Bahri Yanbu docked. The trade unions have repeatedly voiced their opposition to loading “hot cargo” that is destined for use in the war in Yemen.

ANPI Brescia - #BellaCiao
@AnpiBrescia
Italy — Picket since 7 am this morning in the Italian port of Genoa against the docking of Saudi ship #BahriYanbu, bound for #Yemen, due in around 10 am.
Harbour dockers on strike were joined by parties and associations incl. @amnestyitalia. #camalli #Genova #En #17febbraio https://twitter.com/GenovaQuotidian/status/1229319569837305859
GenovaQuotidiana
@GenovaQuotidian
Nave delle armi, presidio al varco Etiopia. Traffico in tilt https://genovaquotidiana.com/2020/02/17/nave-delle-armi-presidio-al-varc...

The protesters believe that the weapons shipments violate a UN embargo as they could be used against civilians in Yemen, where the Saudi-led coalition has intervened militarily in a bid to overthrow the Houthi-led National Salvation Government based in the capital, Sanaa. Riyadh also wants to reinstate exiled President Abdrabbuh Mansour Hadi who has been living in the Saudi capital since he fled Yemen after the start of the war. More than 100,000 people have been killed since 2015, and Yemen now faces what has been described as the world’s worst humanitarian crisis.

ANPI Brescia - #BellaCiao
@AnpiBrescia
Italy — Harbour dockers and campaigners held a day-long demonstration in the Italian port of Genoa on Monday to protest against the docking of Saudi ship #BahriYanbu, bound for #Yemen https://www.ilfattoquotidiano.it/2020/02/17/navi-delle-armi-al-porto-di-... … #camalli #Genova #En #17febbraio

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09:23 - 17 Feb 2020

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In the next couple of days, the Bahri Yanbu is expected to cross the Mediterranean Sea to dock at Alexandria in Egypt before it heads for the Saudi port of Jeddah via the Suez Canal next week.