Italian Union Workers Refuse to Resupply Saudi Weapons Ship over 'Yemen War Crimes'

Local Editor

Italian union workers refused to load electricity generators onto a Saudi ship with weapons on board as it made its way across Europe, in the latest such protest against the deadly war in Yemen.

The Bahri-Yanbu vessel loaded arms in Antwerp, Belgium earlier this month but was prevented from picking up another batch of weapons in the French port of Le Havre following protests by human rights groups.

Activists said the weapons violate a UN treaty because they could be used against civilians in Yemen, where a Saudi-led military coalition has engaged in a brutal war against Yemen's Houthis revolutionaries since 2015.

The Saudi-led aggression against Yemen has killed thousands of civilians and has been condemned worldwide by human rights groups.

Protesters gathered in Genoa with banners that read "No to war".

Unions tried to have the boat banned from Italy but the ship docked despite the attempts. However, workers refused to load two generators aboard the Saudi boat due to their possible use in the Yemen conflict.

"We will not be complicit in what is happening in Yemen," union leaders said in a statement, with port officials confirming the generators were blocked on the quay.

Source: News Agencies, Edited by Website Team