Across Europe and the United Kingdom, a wave of strikes and mass protests has swept through cities and industrial hubs, uniting workers, students, and activists in a shared outcry against austerity, government complicity in conflict, and the ongoing violence in Gaza. The past weeks have seen these movements intensify, drawing on history for inspiration and forging new alliances across borders and generations.
On October 8, 2025, hundreds gathered outside British arms factories in Brough, Havant, Rochester, Cheltenham, and Kent, rallying against what they described as the UK’s continued role in supplying weapons to Israel. According to reporting from Socialist Worker, over 200 people marched from Havant Park to the headquarters of Lockheed Martin UK, with the Palestine Solidarity Campaign (PSC) orchestrating protests at five sites that supply parts for Israel’s F-35 jets. The demonstrators’ message was clear: British arms manufacturers are, in their view, enabling the violence in Gaza, and it’s time for a reckoning.
“Israel’s genocide in Gaza is made possible by arms companies like BAE Systems. They produce the arsenal of weaponry that Israel uses to commit its atrocities,” said Lewis Backon from PSC, addressing the crowd outside BAE Systems in Rochester. Chants of “BAE shame on you” and “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free” echoed through the demonstration, as participants called for a halt to arms shipments and greater accountability for the industry.
But the protests weren’t just about arms. They were also about solidarity and the power of collective action. Mark Sage from Portsmouth PSC highlighted how mass strikes in France, Italy, and elsewhere had succeeded in blocking shipments for arms dealers. “They called for trade unions to build militant action,” Sage explained, “and for the national demo on Saturday to be the biggest yet.” The call for unity extended beyond the UK, with demonstrators rejecting what they described as attempts to equate anti-Zionism with antisemitism and criticizing new crackdowns on protests announced by the Home Secretary.
Many of those present saw their struggle as connected to a broader fight against austerity. Liz Wheatley, Unison union branch secretary at Camden Council, urged, “We have to organise more in our workplaces and in our unions. And part of that is giving workers in the arms industry the confidence to say they don’t want to produce arms for Israel. Just think what a difference that would make?” Wheatley also called for protests around the upcoming budget day on November 26, when, she warned, Labour would “double down on its ‘warfare not welfare’ policies.” For Wheatley and others, the fight for justice for Palestine was inseparable from the struggle against domestic austerity.
Anne Alexander, a UCU union member from Cambridge, pointed to Italy as a model for what could be achieved. “There you have a general strike that shut down the ports, shut down the logistics centres and brought millions into the streets. And it stopped the flow of things through the supply chain towards Israel’s genocide,” she told the crowd, urging for mass marches, defiance of repression, and workers’ action to be at the heart of the movement.
Italy’s own recent history has indeed provided a dramatic example of what coordinated action can accomplish. Following a general strike on September 22, a mass uprising demanding an end to the violence in Gaza and the Italian government’s complicity has only grown. By October 3, a second general strike—this time backed by the powerful CGIL union representing five million workers—brought the country to a virtual standstill. According to CounterPunch, 65% of CGIL’s workers participated, joined by students, teachers, and transport workers who walked off their jobs. Ports, train stations, and businesses were shuttered from north to south, in what many described as the largest mobilization Italy has witnessed in decades.
On October 4, more than a million people converged on Rome for a national demonstration, a sea of humanity cutting across age, background, and political affiliation. The movement, led by the Palestinian community and grassroots unions, drew comparisons to the uprisings of 1968 and the anti-Vietnam War protests. Demonstrators spoke of a new sense of education and solidarity, with conversations on the streets about colonialism, the meaning of genocide, and the distinction between antisemitism and anti-Zionism.
Despite attempts by the Meloni government to ban Palestinian solidarity protests—such as those in Torino and Bologna on October 7—thousands took to the streets, undeterred. The Italian government, now facing a case at the International Criminal Court charging top officials with complicity in genocide, has come under fire for its continued arms sales to Israel. Investigations have revealed that Italy is the third largest supplier of weapons to Israel, including ammonium nitrate and other materials used in Gaza, stepping in to fill the gap left by Spain’s progressive arms embargo imposed in early 2024.
These developments have not gone unnoticed by the international community. The United Nations’ Special Rapporteur on the occupied Palestinian territories, Francesca Albanese, recently awarded honorary citizenship in Bologna, has been an outspoken critic of both the violence and the complicity of Western governments. At a forum in Rome, Albanese and Israeli historian Ilan Pappé argued that Israel has long acted “with complete impunity and in total illegality and disregard for the framework of international law.” The International Court of Justice has ruled that Israel is likely committing genocide and that its occupation of Palestinian territories is illegal, requiring member states to intervene and enforce the law. Yet, as Albanese and others noted, most Western governments have done little beyond issuing statements.
Meanwhile, efforts to criminalize criticism of Israel and Zionism are gaining traction in Italy, Germany, the UK, and France. Critics argue that such measures threaten free speech and undermine democratic debate, while supporters insist they are necessary to combat rising antisemitism. The issue has become deeply divisive, with both sides accusing the other of bad faith and distortion.
Back in Britain, the debate over how to respond continues. On October 8, Fiona Lali and Khaled Malachi discussed the potential for general strikes in Britain, inspired by the massive actions in France and Italy. They highlighted the leading role students could play, drawing on the legacy of May 1968, when student and worker solidarity shook the foundations of European society. “If we can show the power that those Italian workers did, then we could shut everything down,” said protester Nadia, reflecting a growing sense that only bold, collective action can force change.
With a general strike now called in Spain for October 15, the movement appears set to spread even further. As demonstrators across Europe look to each other for inspiration, the question remains: will governments listen, or will they continue to double down on repression and complicity? For those on the streets, the answer is clear—resistance must continue, for as long as it takes.
