"As aid barely trickles into Gaza, a group of activists are trying to take matters into their own hands. The #FreedomFlotilla movement planned to set sail to Gaza, bringing more than 5000 tons of aid and taking on great personal risk. The Take looks into their years-long struggle to break #Israel’s siege on #Gaza."
A three-ship flotilla planning to reach Gaza with humanitarian aid from Turkey was prevented from sailing by Guinea-Bissau authorities, which took down their country's flags from two ships, organizers said. A press release by the Freedom Flotilla Coalition described the cancellation of the vessels' registry as a "blatantly political move," adding, "Without a flag, we cannot sail."
“Two hundred days into Israel’s siege and #genocida violence, including an unprecedented starvation campaign against the Palestinian people in Gaza, the situation continues to deteriorate. After a 17-year blockade against Gaza, @israel has now created a #famine by cutting off the regular supply of water, food and critical goods into Gaza, destroying livelihoods, the food system and civilian infrastructure. Failing to comply with its humanitarian obligations as the occupying power, Israel is also restricting humanitarian aid, intentionally bombarding humanitarian convoys, and targeting both aid workers and civilians seeking aid."
And under Zions cold stars
I saw small girls who fell,
with blood roses on their blouses
where the bullets penetrated in.
Under Zion's cold stars
I saw the same clear terror
which I remember
from Warsaw and Berlin.
Under Sions kalla stjärna - Under Zion's cold stars song by Swedish activist and singer Björn Afzelius from 1988
As the world is getting excited about the Erdogan's latest PR trick to hide his 6 months of criminal complicity in the ongoing genocide in Gaza by supporting the "Flotilla 2" from Turkey to Gaza, sitting and listening to the song of my favorite Swedish singer late Björn Afzelius who wrote the song about a similar even in mid 80s to take a boat with many famous artists and activists from all around the world to Gaza from Greece.
It hurts, really hurts that the world has to witness once again the same thing we have seen so many times before, but hoping that the kids of today are stronger and more successful than we were, maybe they can finally help ending this ongoing criminal actions by the "chosen people" against the "human animals".
And I listened to it one more time, with tears in my eyes after watching the videos of families trying to identify remains of their loved one recovered from a mass grave at Nasser hospital in Khan Yunis. I listen to it as I did live in 1990, and so many times after that in the past 36 years and sadly, the news on the TV is the same, so is the reaction from the Israeli politicians and our beloved neutral high morality leaders.
We were flying over Saloniki
when the clouds drew apart
and we saw the Aegean Sea
clearly and distinctly.
It was a beauty without equal,
almost like a fairyland,
when we flew over
the Northern Sporades.
We rounded Piraeus
and landed in Athens.
The city lay there, white
and attractive, in the sun.
But I stopped next to a TV screen
which was in the arrival hall.
I wanted to see the latest news
from Jerusalem.
And under Zions cold stars
I saw small girls who fell,
with blood roses on their blouses
where the bullets penetrated in.
Under Zion's cold stars
I saw the same clear terror
which I remember
from Warsaw and Berlin.
I wanted to sail over the ocean,
down to Haifa from Athens,
with several hundred
deported Palestinians.
But it was hard to find a ship
which was for sale for something like that
because of the pressure by
the Greek government.
But I tried to cultivate myself,
waiting for information,
so I drove around a bit
in the neighborhood around Omonia.
I saw Bousouki dance in Plaka
I saw the worn out Parthenon
And every evening I saw the news
from Jerusalem.
And under Zion's cold stars
I saw small girls who fell
with blood roses on their blouses
where the bullets penetrated in.
Under Zion's cold stars
I saw the same clear terror
which I remember
from Warsaw and Berlin.
So they found a ship
in Larnaca on Cypress
And we spoke about our trip
half the night.
And we laughed hysterically
when the Israeli minister
stood and exhalted us
to the murderers on TV.
But we didn't laugh any longer
when we saw in the morning paper
that those who chartered the boat
were murdered the same night.
They had blown them into atoms
next to a row of their cars
So now we sat in front of the news
from Jerusalem.
And under Zion's cold stars
I saw small girls who fell,
with blood roses on their blouses
where the bullets penetrated in.
Under Zion's cold stars
I saw the same clear terror
which I remember
from Warsaw and Berlin.
We drank ourselves drunk at the hotel
among the quiet Palestineans
and among agents from Mossad
who bought postcards.
But everyone wanted to travel
There was, after all, one boat
and no one had the strength to count
those who had fallen.
So in the dawn came the information
we all knew would come
that the ship had exploded
in Larnaca.
So I traveled from Athens
with the tiredness of death in my heart.
And in the evening I saw the news
from Jerusalem..
Under Zion's cold stars
I saw small girls who fell,
with blood roses on the blouses
where bullets penetrated in.
Under Zion's cold stars
I saw the same clear terror
which I remember
from Warsaw and Berlin.
And under Zion's cold stars
I saw small girls who fell,
with blood roses on their blouses
where the bullets penetrated in.
Under Zion's cold stars
I saw the same clear terror
which I remember
from Warsaw and Berlin.
The Akdeniz, a vessel with the Gaza #freedomflotilla is being loaded with 5,000 tonnes of humanitarian aid supplies for delivery by sea to the war-torn Palestinian territory.
Lawyers, aid workers and activists are onboard the ship in preparation for efforts by the flotilla to break the Israeli air, land and sea blockade of Gaza.
Mandla Mandela, the grandson of former South African President Nelson Mandela, is part of the flotilla that plans to soon set off for Gaza.
The #FreedomFlotilla has been delayed a few days by an Israeli administrative intervention? The explanation is vague, I don’t think they want them near the Rafah invasion: #BreakTheSiege
It's critical that every freedom loving human being supports this dangerous and courageous effort to bring some humanity to #Gaza
Another # I recommend following on Mastodon is #FreedomFlotilla
"We all feel like this horror is too much to bear, that something desperately has to be done," Surya McEwen said.
The 38-year-old care worker from New South Wales said he was among 1,000 international activists who will set sail for Gaza on one of three ships, carrying 5,500 tonnes of humanitarian aid with them.
@Miro_Collas A little further there's mention of WCK shipment by sea and a reference to a massacre of the people aboard "Murphy Murmurer" saying everybody remembers that. Guess what--can't find it doing a search on the name. Many years earlier there were several #FreedomFlotilla efforts sponsored by Turkey among others but no mention of that particular ship in those efforts.
@Miro_Collas I remember the #FreedomFlotilla and their dead heros. 2010.
This leaves a bitter taste in my mouth. And what will happen when the aid arrives? Will the Israelis bomb the waiting crowds? @palestine