French dock workers in Fos-sur-Mer, near Marseille, are blocking the shipment of military equipment bound for Israel, protesting the Israeli military’s ongoing genocide of Palestinians in Gaza, France 24 reported on 6 June.
The action, led by members of the CGT trade union, halted the loading of 19 pallets of bullet links—metal components used to enable rapid machine gun fire—onto a cargo vessel on Thursday.
Christophe Claret, a union representative, confirmed that the shipment was identified and set aside after workers were notified of its contents.
“Once dockers refuse to load a shipment, no one else can do it for them,” Claret told AFP. The remaining cargo for the vessel was loaded as scheduled.
The CGT issued a statement denouncing the delivery and declaring it would not be complicit in what it called “the ongoing genocide orchestrated by the Israeli government.” Eurolinks, a Marseille-based defense supplier, manufactured the metal links. The company declined to comment on the incident, and the Port of Marseille-Fos also issued no statement.
Human rights groups have voiced support for the dock workers. Anne Savinel-Barras, president of Amnesty International France, condemned the deliveries as being carried out “in opacity” and in contradiction with recent remarks by French President Emmanuel Macron, who has expressed horror at the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.
“If France continues to authorize the delivery of war material to Israel, it is fueling this genocide,” Savinel-Barras said, urging the government to impose a full arms embargo.
CGT Secretary General Sophie Binet praised the dock workers for upholding international law and moral responsibility, stating, “It is unacceptable that CGT dockers should be the ones forced to uphold the fundamental principles of international law and French values.”
Left-wing political figures, including Socialist Party leader Olivier Faure, also expressed support. “Humanism is not for sale,” Faure said.
Investigative outlet Disclose reported that similar arms shipments from Fos-sur-Mer to Haifa occurred on 3 April and 22 May. French Defense Minister Sebastien Lecornu had previously claimed that such parts were intended for re-export through Israel, not for use by the Israeli military—a claim met with skepticism by critics.
The protest highlights growing tension in France over arms exports and their potential role in the conflict in Gaza, as public and political pressure mounts on the government to reassess its military ties with Israel.
The Genoa Port Workers’ Collective (CALP) in Italy plans to follow suit, announcing on Thursday it would block the ZIM Contship Era from docking when it arrives in Genoa while in transit to Israel’s Haifa port.
“We oppose all wars and refuse to be complicit in the genocide in Gaza,” CALP said in a statement.
The Italian dock workers are calling for a general strike on 20 June under the slogan “Disarm them.”
Israeli forces have killed an estimated 109,000 Palestinians since the start of the war in October 2023. Israeli leaders have said they intend to destroy Gaza and ethnically cleanse the strip of its over 2 million residents in preparation for establishing Jewish settlements.