A humanitarian maritime campaign organised by the Freedom Flotilla Coalition (FFC) attempted to break the horrific Israeli blockade of the Gaza strip and deliver humanitarian aid. The flotilla was led by a UK-flagged vessel, the Madleen, and set sail on the first of June, with flour, sanitary products, and baby formula on board. Although the Madleen did not reach its goal to end the blockade, it’s a symbol of courage, solidarity, and humanity.
The mission proved to the world that even with the purest intentions, no weapons and no violence, the Israeli occupation forces and their complicit ally’s will do anything in their power to stop any help reaching the Palestinian people. The Freedom Flotilla Coalition brought light to how inhumane and extended the blockade of any aid is, and the maliciousness of the IDF alongside their governing powers.
The ship was boarded by activists from numerous countries. From Rima Hassan, a French-Palestinian Europarlamentar representative, to the well-known Swedish Greta Thunberg and Brazilian activist Thiago Avila. The Madleen was also boarded by citizens from the Netherlands, Turkey, Germany, Spain, and more from France, making twelve of them in total. Branded the ‘selfie yacht’ by the Israeli state, the Madleen’s spirit fought against and survived the IDF’s PR tactics.
Unfortunately, before the Madleen could carry out its mission of breaking the blockade, on the night of June 9th, the Israeli occupation forces intercepted and illegally and unjustly kidnapped them in international waters. Although the Madleen is a UK flagged ship, and it is a breach of international law to abduct them in international waters, most governments failed to acknowledge it.
The media, who has been complicit in the genocide of the Palestinian people for decades, only presented part of the footage, where the occupation army presented the activists on board with sandwiches and water, failing to mention the constant drones above the ship alongside the unknown chemicals dropped upon the Madleen and its people. The occupation army forcefully and violently abducted those on board, imprisoning them in Ramla, at the Givon prison, in occupied Palestine. The Israeli forces claimed that the activists entered Israel illegally, therefore having a reason to kidnap them, although also denying the forceful abduction.
Detained and imprisoned in Israel, the twelve were given an ultimatum. Either sign deportation papers and be sent back to your country the very next day or remain imprisoned. It is significant to acknowledge the privilege of those on board of the Madleen. Many other ships from the freedom flotilla coalition were not met with such agreements, such as the Conscience, which tried to take off a few months ago and was bombed on the coast of Malta.
Four out of the twelve were deported the very next day, including Greta Thunberg. Many stayed, including Rima Hassan, who was threatened with extreme violence by the IDF soldiers and moved to a solitary cell with no window after writing “Free Palestine’ on the wall of her previous cell. Thiago Avila symbolically started a hunger strike, was also placed in solitary confinement.
At this moment, ten out of twelve activists were deported, and a 100-year ban to enter Israel was placed on them. The other two are currently waiting for legal interception but will be deported soon after.
The Madleen and those on board started a chain reaction, inspiring tens of thousands of people from all over the world. A march to Gaza was planned, with thousands of civilians from North African and European countries set off on a mission to break the siege and deliver aid themselves. Although the Madleen did not reach its goal to deliver aid, it reached the people, and showed the world how powerful and dedicated the occupation forces are in starving and population, when they were already committing a live-streamed genocide.
The freedom flotilla coalition, led by the Madleen, and the march to Gaza with people from all over the globe, proves one thing – the people, united, will never be defeated.
We must keep our attention on the people of Palestine. We must not forget, we are here, in solidarity, to amplify their voices and make them heard.
The Palestinian people can and are saving themselves.
Art Book Review Books Capitalism China Climate Emergency Conservative Government Conservative Party COVID-19 Economics EcoSocialism Elections Europe Fascism Film Film Review France Gaza Imperialism Israel Italy Keir Starmer Labour Party Long Read Marxism Palestine pandemic Protest Russia Solidarity Statement Trade Unionism Ukraine United States of America War