A snap rally at Sydney Town Hall and a Paddle Out on Sydney Harbour were held in support of the Global Sumud Flotilla sailing from Barcelona, Spain to deliver humanitarian aid to Gaza.
Global Sumud Flotilla
The Israeli Defence Forces intercepted 22 of the 58 vessels of the Global Sumud Flotilla in international waters off Greece, about 1,000 kms from Gaza on Thursday 30 April.
Three of the 14 Australians on board these vessels were 22-year-old Sydney law student, Ethan Floyd, Melbourne-based GP, Dr Bianca Webb-Pullman and Nannas’ friend from Rising Tide, Zack Schofield, who grew up in Newcastle.
Reports on the flotilla crew are emerging – 175 participants were transferred to an Israeli prison ship and taken to the Greek island of Crete. Two leaders of the global Sumud, Saif Abukeshek, a Spanish and Swedish national of Palestinian origin and Thiago Ávila, a Brazilian national, were taken to Shikma Prison in Askalan, north of Gaza in occupied Palestine.
There are grave fears for their safety. Released participants heard Abukeshek’s screams when he was subjected to severe abuse while detained aboard the military vessel. There are also confirmed reports of torture in custody.
Thirty-six of the volunteers required hospital treatment in Crete due to injuries sustained during their violent interception and detention by the Israeli military.
Zack is well and staying in a Greek person’s house in Crete. He will be doing more interviews in the coming days, see the one below. He will be trying to join one of the boats in Greek waters to keep going to Gaza.
Track the boats here
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Snap Rally at Sydney Town Hall
A snap rally was held in the evening of Thursday 30 April at Sydney Town Hall in support of the Global Sumud Flotilla.
Zack’s parents spoke at the Sydney rally about his reasons for joining the flotilla and their support for his decision. Rising Tide activists, Emma and Alexa, spoke about their concerns for people of the flotilla, and also about the Israeli government’s ongoing persecution of the Palestinians in Gaza. The rally called for the Albanese government to speak out about the abduction of Australian citizens in international waters and to end its alliance with Israel. The Sea Shanty group that Zack performs with sang some strident shanties, and then the protesters marched to the offices of the Department of Defence.
Knitting Nannas strongly support the global Sumud flotilla because we want to do whatever we can to stop the Israeli genocide in Gaza. Our governments should be acting to stop the starvation and killing of Palestinians but because they are failing us, ordinary people need to step up.
Paddle Out For Flotilla
On Sunday, Nannas were at the Sydney Opera House to welcome the Paddle Out for Flotilla. Activists in about 15 kayaks paddled across the harbour to demonstrate solidarity with the Sumud Flotilla.
The event drew public attention to the illegal interception of the flotilla by the Israeli government, and to Israel’s ongoing attacks on Palestinians in Gaza. Organisers of the paddle out were Rising Tide and Greenpeace, who were joined at the Opera House rally by Palestinian action groups, Red Rebels, Extinction Rebellion, Sea Shanty singers and the Nannas.
Speakers called on everyone to keep the pressure on the Albanese government to support Australians intercepted brutally in international waters and to break ties with Israel. Foreign Minister Penny Wong’s office and the Department of Defence are not taking messages, so calling and emailing federal MPs is probably the best way to express our concerns and support for the flotilla.
