Community action against genocide and worker’s strike: Rotterdam port brought to a halt
Original article by Ana Vračar republished from peoples dispatch under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 (CC BY-SA) license.
The Port of Rotterdam faced major disruptions over the past several days as dockworkers and activists launched strikes and direct actions.
The Port of Rotterdam, one of Europe’s most important logistics hubs, faced serious obstructions over the past several days as a result of dockworkers’ strikes and direct action against complicity in genocide, human rights violations, and pollution.
According to the collective Geef Tegengas, approximately 800 people took part in a blockade of the port’s railway track as part of an international campaign organized by the network alongside Soulèvements de la Terre (France), Code Rouge, Stop Arming Israel, Soulèvements de la Terre Bruxelles (Belgium), and Disrupt Germany. Coordinated actions took place between October 10 and 12 under the umbrella of the International Days of Action Against Bombs, Barrels, and Bullshit.
“The organizations are fighting back against the global, capitalist system that is raining down bombs, pumping out pollutants, creating inequality, colonizing lands, fracturing communities and destroying ecosystems,” the coalition said in a joint statement.
Read more: British parliament votes to ban Palestine Action despite public outcry
Nora Kilembe of Geef Tegengas warned about the role of Rotterdam’s port in what the groups term as the Logistics Empire: a global network of transport companies, port authorities, shopping platforms, and terminals that prioritize private profit over human life and the planet’s health. “The Logistics Empire, Port of Rotterdam up front, is destroying our planet,” Kilembe said. “Indigenous peoples are robbed of their self-determination whilst Israel is committing a genocide against Palestinians. In the West, we are being brainwashed to keep on buying to fill our empty lives, leading to mass depression and alienation. All so the ultra-rich can further enrich themselves. This system of death can only be brought down if we fight back together.”
Geef Tegengas emphasized the action targeted the sector’s deep complicity in Israel’s genocide and other human rights abuses. “We demand that the port of Rotterdam immediately implement a complete arms and trade embargo on Israel, stop importing products and raw materials from areas where human rights are violated, and make a plan to phase out all polluting waste as quickly as possible,” they said.
Read more: “The law is protecting Total”
With the blockade, the group stressed, activists are reclaiming public control over vital infrastructure. “The port belongs to the people, not to big business,” they said. “They are demanding control over this port.”
The blockade coincided with the largest lashers’ – dockworkers responsible for securing cargo on vessels – strike in decades, which caused a backlog that port authorities say could take until the end of October to clear. Activists pointed out that the industrial action only reinforces the broader struggle for justice in Europe. “Their struggle for good wages and better working conditions is one that we wholeheartedly support,” they said, adding that the lashers’ demonstration of collective power should serve as an inspiration for all movements seeking a fairer society.
Original article by Ana Vračar republished from peoples dispatch under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 (CC BY-SA) license.
