It has been a weekend full of activity in Barcelona, especially for the organizers and participants of the Global Sumud Flotilla. Since Friday, August 29, the Moll de la Fusta has hosted the activities prepared by the organization before its scheduled departure on Sunday 31, when more than twenty boats set sail towards Gaza. Hundreds of activists and volunteers from forty-four different nationalities are taking part. People like you and me, who leave their families behind to join this humanitarian action that seeks to bring about a change in the behavior of governments worldwide in the face of the genocide perpetrated by Israel against the Palestinian people.
In just two months, a joint action has been organized that brings together different entities under the Global Sumud Flotilla, the largest so far. More than fifty boats, departing from different Mediterranean ports, will converge at sea to reach the coast of Gaza. There are all kinds of vessels, some more fragile than others. And the truth is, one must move forward with what is available. This is the work that governments should be doing, since they have the resources to sail safely and open a new humanitarian corridor to Gaza. But, in the face of their inaction, all the responsibility falls on the people, on those who work to live with dignity. Governments, however, are not aligned with the interests of the people, and we cannot wait for them to react.
I completely agree with what the speakers expressed during the press conference. We are witnessing how fundamental rights and the right to life have lost their value. Not even Europe guarantees respect for international treaties and human rights. I particularly liked what Thiago Ávila pointed out in each of his interventions: life is much more than accumulating wealth.
I am glad to have been able to share a few days with so many people who show concern and responsibility in the face of all the limits exceeded by the genocidal State of Israel and its accomplices. It is sad, however, to witness such a complicated and harsh reality as the one we are living now. The effort of so many people to organize the Flotilla, to spread values, resistance, courage, and hope to the world, and to see so many supporting this great initiative, saddens me. Governments have thrown in the towel and sold our rights to the violence of power, and it is up to all of us to roll up our sleeves if we do not want to suffer further repression. The sooner people realize the point we are at and begin to get involved, the better. Together we will build more strength to change course toward the recovery of humanity.
Thank you, Thiago Ávila, Saif Abukeshek, Muhammad Nadir Al-Nuri, Greta Thunberg, and Yasemin Acar, for the great effort you are making. Thanks to all the participants and activists of the Global Sumud Flotilla for your courage. You are an example that must be spread so it reaches every small corner of the world and inspires a change in government priorities.
Stay strong! We are with you!
** In this link you can visualize more pictures of this event.
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