View of Rome, Italy ROME, Mar 19Activists of the Italian trade union USB organized a demonstration against sending weapons to Ukraine and the country's participation in NATO missions, a rally in one of the squares of Rome was held simultaneously with a similar event near the Pisa airport, which became the center of the protest. A week ago, the Pisa branch of the large trade union USB stated that its representatives working in the cargo terminal of the airport found boxes of weapons and ammunition, which were sent to Ukraine as a humanitarian aid. According to the leadership of the trade union, the workers refused to load weapons into the transport aircraft. The USB statement stated that the weapons in Ukraine are being supplied under the guise of humanitarian aid needed by the population, and will be used to kill the same workers.Pisa airport workers refused to load weapons for Ukraine on the plane»Firstly, we protest against the very sending of military materials, against Italy's participation in the war in Ukraine. Secondly, we oppose the involvement of civil servants in loading weapons. I do not think that the authorities do not know that this air traffic of civil aircraft is now used to transport military cargo,» Cinzia Dalla Porta, a representative of the USB branch of Pisa, told RIA Novosti. from NATO and the war», which the participants of the action placed on fabric banners. The most colorful poster depicted a dove of peace on a blue background with the caption «No War, no NATO.» In Rome, a protest rally was held in an area located near a military airfield. The demonstration in the capital was directed not only against Italy's participation in the Ukrainian conflict, but also against the presence of military bases within the Eternal City. In addition to USB activists, leftist and anti-fascist organizations took part in the rally. In total, the demonstration gathered hundreds of people.Italian journalists condemned the publication of La Stampa on Ukraine «We stand for complete neutrality: Europe, Italy and Ukraine. Armament costs take away funds that could be spent on raising salaries,» one of the protesters named Giulio told RIA Novosti. In addition to those who spoke out against the armed conflict in Ukraine and its support, the action was attended by supporters of one of the liberation movements of Sri Lanka, freedom fighters by Julian Assange, students and ordinary local residents with children and dogs. «Sending our military cargo and our military personnel to the conflict zone will only increase poverty in our people's quarters. The Italian people reject the war, we are talking about this to the government, which allocates funds from the budget for it, «said one of the first speakers at a rally held with a procession around the square. Earlier, the Interspecific Operational Command of the General Staff of the Ministry of Defense Italy, in response to the incident, reported that «the protest of the airport employees did not actually take place. In their opinion, when faced with the cargo, the employees reported that they did not have the documents necessary for loading special materials. A RIA Novosti source in the aviation department of the Tuscany region suggested that the situation could have occurred due to confusion with the equal due to the fact that the military cargo was supposed to take off from the same military airport, located not far from the civil one. Tuscan airport authorities have already assured that such an incident will not happen again.
