The Italian government approved a law in September requiring all workers to show a Covid Green Pass, which provides proof of their vaccination status, negative test result or recent recovery from the virus. The move, some of the strictest Covid rules in the world, was a first for Europe.

Four days after the demonstration kicked off at the port, police demanded protesters leave the area “in the name of the law,” before firing tear gas and using water cannon. The gathered crowd of demonstrators were heard chanting “liberty! liberty!” and “people like us never give up!”