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French longshoremen block military material bound for Israel

The CGT trade union said the move made clear its refusal to “participate in the ongoing genocide” in the Gaza Strip.

A photograph taken from an industrial gantry crane shows shipping containers on the dock at EuroFos, France's largest container terminal, in the Fos-Sur-Mer harbor, as they are sorted by straddle carriers, July 23, 2020. Photo by Clement Mahoudeau/AFP via Getty Images.
A photograph taken from an industrial gantry crane shows shipping containers on the dock at EuroFos, France’s largest container terminal, in the Fos-Sur-Mer harbor, as they are sorted by straddle carriers, July 23, 2020. Photo by Clement Mahoudeau/AFP via Getty Images.

French dockworkers on Thursday blocked the shipment of military material destined for Israel, in protest against the war against Hamas in Gaza.

The employees at the port in Fos-sur-Mer, 30 miles northwest of Marseille, refused to load arms-related crates aboard the cargo vessel, the CGT trade union said.

The union said the move made clear its refusal to “participate in the ongoing genocide orchestrated by the Israeli government.”

The move, which follows harsh French criticism of Israeli military action in the Gaza Strip, was welcomed by hard-left and left-wing leaders in France.

“Humanism is not for sale,” said Socialist Party leader Olivier Faure.

On Thursday, President Emmanuel Macron said France would decide “in the coming days” whether to implement “concrete measures” against Israel because of the war against Hamas.

Abdulkadir Al-Jelani, 58, is due in court on July 1 and faces charges of making the threats and three counts of assault with a weapon.
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