Dockworkers across Europe have been organizing actions in solidarity with Palestine – efforts that have sparked backlash from employers and smear campaigns by the corporate media. During a recent meeting hosted by the Workers in Palestine network, members of the Swedish Dockworkers Union (SDU) and the European Dockworkers Council (EDC) shared experiences alongside activists from the US-based International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) Local 10. Together, they shed light on the difficult task of navigating national laws that limit industrial action, while, at the same time, building support and education for Palestine within their ranks.
Among the most notable solidarity actions in the region in recent months were the blockade of ammunition shipments at the port of Piraeus in Greece and a SDU-led boycott of military cargo to and from Israel earlier this year. The SDU’s action, backed by 68% of its members, was a direct response to Israel’s war on Gaza and aimed to inject a working-class perspective into human rights discourse, explained national vice-chair Erik Helgeson. The union’s legacy of international solidarity – from boycotts against Chile’s military dictatorship to apartheid South Africa – laid the groundwork for this recent action.
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Given the SDU’s history, other unions and progressive organizations looked to the organization to lead the way after October 7, 2023. “The strongest, most action-oriented unions are always expected to act in the most difficult moments,” said Helgeson. But this can contribute to their isolation, he warned, stressing that support from other sectors – including teachers, health workers, and public service employees – was just as crucial. In an effort to extend meaningful solidarity to the Palestinians, the SDU opted for a longer process – one that might have been less conspicuous than some left groups might have hoped for, but that allowed for a campaign that enjoyed broad member support and could impact Israel’s military supplies.
As expected, they faced retaliation. Port operators considered mass lockouts, and legal uncertainty loomed over the action. Ultimately, however, the court upheld the legality of the boycott, and the SDU’s effort was deemed successful. “Many people aren’t aware that Sweden imports a significant amount of weapons from Israel, effectively contributing to Israel’s campaign against the Palestinians,” Helgeson said, noting that the action was also an opportunity to raise awareness of Sweden’s complicity in the events.
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Despite the action being legally sound and supported by the rank and file, it became an excuse for retaliation. Helgeson himself was dismissed from the port in Gothenburg on vague claims of security concerns. Yet Helgeson and the SDU insist that the decision to fire him should not be interpreted in the context of the region-wide crackdown on Palestine solidarity alone. “They might have seen Palestine as a practical backdrop,” Helgeson said, adding that it was almost certainly a broader political attack on the union. This view is echoed by the SDU in their public response, which argues that the dismissal was part of a broader crackdown on labor activism.
This pattern is present only in Sweden. Similar trends of repression targeting unionists and Palestine solidarity activists have emerged across Europe, explained EDC coordinator Anthony Tetard. Nonetheless, Tetard emphasized that dockworkers are prepared to continue their efforts – both in support of Palestine and of union comrades facing persecution. The EDC stands ready to mobilize in support of Helgeson once the SDU gives the green light, Tetard stated.
While laws governing solidarity-based industrial action vary by country – France, for example, grants broader grounds for legal boycotts in civil ports – dockworkers across Europe remain committed to finding ways to show solidarity. From blockades of military cargo to union-backed education campaigns, their actions reflect a movement that aims to build lasting connections with workers in Palestine.
On Saturday, April 12, French dockworkers in Fos-sur-Mer delayed a Maersk ship carrying F-35 jet parts which is headed to Israel. Maersk has been the target of an international campaign launched by the Palestinian Youth Movement and supported by the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions Movement (BDS), calling on the shipping giant to stop shipping weapons to Israel and cut all contracts that fuel genocide.
