The local branch of the CGT — one of France’s biggest trade unions — representing port workers in the Gulf of Fos, near the city of Marseille, said Wednesday that it had refused to load a container of equipment from the French company Eurolinks destined for the Israeli city of Haifa.
Eurolinks, a Marseille-based company that manufactures metal ammunition links — components used to connect cartridges in machine gun belts — did not immediately respond to POLITICO’s request for comment.
The local strike — which received support from the CGT’s national leadership — highlights the growing pressure on the French and other European governments to convince Israel to either scale back or end its bombing campaign and monthslong blockade of the Palestinian enclave, which has severely restricted civilians’ access to food, water and medicine. NGOs are also seeking to block Israeli defense companies from attending the Paris Air Show — one of the world’s largest aerospace fairs — later this month.
French President Emmanuel Macron is reportedly lobbying several European countries to recognize the state of Palestine at a United Nations conference later this month.
Laura Kayali contributed to this report.