People protest in Pisa, Italy on March 19, 2022 against the Italian government's decision to send weapons under the guise of a humanitarian cargo. Photo: Unione Sindacale di Base

"We don't think sending weapons solves the situation [conflict between Russia and Ukraine] because we risk a third world war," said a representative of an Italian workers union that blocked arms shipments to Ukraine under the guise of humanitarian aid. 

Nearly 2,000 people participated in a protest in Pisa, Italy on Saturday against the government's sending of weapons to Ukraine. Airport workers at Galileo Galilei Airport in Pisa revealed that under the guise of a humanitarian cargo, boxes with weapons and ammunition were sent to Ukraine. They refused to unload them, local media reported. 

"The airport workers said the goods inside the aircraft weren't food or clothes. There were weapons. So they said it isn't their work. And they didn't prepare the cargo," Cinzia Della Porta, a representative of the Tuscan branch of the Unione Sindacale di Base (USB), one of Italy's biggest trade unions, who initiated the protest, said. 

The union pointed out that, according to safety standards, such cargo cannot be sent from a civilian airport, which is dangerous for workers. "There is also a military airport nearby, but this simply could not have happened by mistake," Cinzia told the Global Times on Monday. 

She said the protest was also held in support of peace and against NATO. "We don't agree to send weapons…because we risk a third world war," Cinzia noted.

The incident is also an example of how "humanitarianism" can be abused. According to a USB statement: "We strongly condemn this blatant deception, which cynically uses the guise of 'humanitarian aid' to further fuel the war in Ukraine." Humanitarian measures, such as sending aid supplies and accepting refugees are not enough to end the war — and in this case they even served as a cover for militarism.

Mario Carrai, chairman of Tuscany airports [Toscana Aeroporti], who manages the Pisa airport, has since assured that there will be no more arms shipments through Pisa airport.  Toscana Aeroporti failed to reply to an interview request from the Global Times as of press time.