Dave Stockton
On 31 August 15 vessels, carrying hundreds of people, including journalists, doctors, actors and politicians from 44 countries, set sail from Barcelona.
The Global Sumud (steadfastness) Flotilla’s planned first stop is Tunisia, where they will link up with other ships from Italy and other Mediterranean ports, more than 50 in total, in an effort to reach Gaza by mid-September.
Among those on board is Irish Game of Thrones actor Liam Cunningham. London-based punk rappers Bob Vylan—who led a chant of ‘Death to the IDF [Israel Defence Forces]’ at this year’s Glastonbury—spoke at the rally before the flotilla’s departure. They praised the activists as ‘brave individuals’ who were ‘attempting to do what should have been done by government intervention a long time ago’.
Meanwhile, speaking at a rally on the docks of Genoa, one of Europe’s largest ports, a dockworker representing the USB union said that if communication with the flotilla were lost ‘even for just 20 minutes’, port workers would immediately block all shipments to Israel, adding: ‘From this region 13-14,000 containers leave every year for Israel, not a single nail will leave anymore.’
Of course it is near certain that Israel will do all it can to stop the flotilla. Palestinian activists should approach unionised workers in the docks and the air and road freight industry to follow the lead of their Italian comrades. To stop this genocide demands no less.
Support from Argentina
In June Argentina’s super-Trump President Javier Milei visited Israel and fulsomely praised the genocidists, denouncing those who sought to isolate them because of their crimes and promising to recognise Jerusalem as the capital and mobilise material aid from Latin America. It is appropriate then that the following statement comes from the International Socialist League and its Argentine section the MST.
‘The ISL is supporting the Humanitarian Flotilla that sets sail on 31 August for Gaza. More than 50 ships, departing from different parts of Europe, will try to break the blockade imposed by the State of Israel and bring humanitarian aid to the Palestinian population.
‘This internationalist action seeks to denounce and confront the health and food siege to which the State of Israel is subjecting millions of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, as part of the ongoing genocide. The Flotilla is part of the tradition of struggle and active solidarity that different organisations around the world promote to support the Palestinian resistance against the occupation and Zionist barbarism.
‘The Left Front [FIT-U] Deputy for the City of Benos Aires, Cele Fierro, a member of the MST, is taking part on behalf of ISL, in response to the threats of the Israeli Minister of National Security Ben Gvir against humanitarian aid for the Palestinian people and to help to break the blockade of official indifference.’
In an interview on the website of the ISL, Cele Fierro reported:
‘We have just set sail again for Gaza, after very intense days of preparation and instruction from experienced of comrades such as Thiago Ávila from Brazil, Greta Thunberg from Sweden and Yasemin Acar from Berlin, and so many others. Israel uses famine as a genocidal weapon, in addition to bombs and occupation.
‘We heard Ben Gvir’s statement that the activists on board are all terrorists. We don’t carry weapons, we carry food, medicine and water. The minister is the terrorist – who threatens and blocks this aid in violation of all international law. If Israel decides to use violence against 50 humanitarian ships, they simply prove the truth of the crime they are accused of committing in Gaza. We are going to face this genocide despite the threats of the Zionist state. We ask you not to take your eyes off this humanitarian action and to be alert to any attempt to stop us.’