After eleven days of sailing in the Mediterranean, on the night of April 22, the first ships of the Flotilla began to arrive at the port of Augusta. This will be the first stopover for resupply, repairs, evaluation of the course of the war and determination of the next steps. On Thursday 23, a solidarity festival will be held in Syracuse and we will set sail again a few days afterward.
By Ruben Tzanoff
Just anchored in Augusta, tired but happy, Raúl Laguna and Cele Fierro told us how these days of sailing went.
“I am living what it means to put my body in the sea and my eyes on Palestine.”
Raul: “As the days went by, I adapted to life on board, which requires organization, effort and camaraderie; and despite the diversity of languages, national origins and political positions, we all managed to get along well and adapt to the rhythm of navigation. In particular, I had to assist some comrade-patients in the onboard infirmary, but without serious illnesses. Now I have experienced firsthand what it means to ‘put my body in the sea and my eyes on Palestine’, that is why, every day we use all the means at our disposal to continue denouncing the genocide, the humanitarian blockade, the destruction of homes, hospitals and the horrors caused by Zionism that are also deployed in Lebanon, where more than 2,400 people have been murdered since March”.
“Our best shield is to resume mass mobilizations on land.”
Cele: “Unlike last year, the navigation of this first leg did not present any major setbacks, although some vessels suffered mechanical breakdowns. The weather was also acceptable, despite some storms and swells. It is good to have the support of ships such as the Greenpeace Artic and the Open Arms, which have been escorting and assisting us, as well as having medical personnel on board for any eventuality. The comrades who embarked for the first time were acclimatized to seafaring life, fulfilled their watches and duties, which is essential to face the next stretches with the crews united and working as a team.
And there were two events that reinforced our morale. The first was the action against the MSC Maya on the high seas, to denounce its complicity with the genocidal State of Israel that develops through maritime traffic. In the same vein, I denounced the complicity of the EU in refusing to annul or even partially suspend the Association Agreement that links it to the genocidal regime. The second event was the solidarity activity in Catania for two days to see local boats off and prepare our landfall in Sicily.
We need everyone around the world to keep their eyes on the Flotilla, that’s why we are happy about the Festival that will be held in Syracuse. Recalling last year’s experience, I reaffirm that our best shield against eventual aggressions against our ships and ourselves on them, are the mobilizations on land that I hope will resume with the strength of 2025. Do not take your eyes off the Flotilla”.
Evaluation at each stop
In Sicily, the coordination and crews need to exchange views on the war and its implications for the Flotilla. It still seems possible to proceed on the route over European waters and to continue to generate political actions for Palestine without serious risks to the safety of the Flotilla. These are assessments that the crews will surely discuss in a balanced manner to determine the next steps to take until the next port of call. The GSF can once again play an important role with its denunciations and actions, knowing that only massive, widespread and united mobilization, strikes and actions on land can successfully defend it from the aggressions of Israel and its accomplices.
Resuming mass mobilizations
The GSF is once again a great example because, far from considering that the serious Palestinian problems have been solved with the deceitful Israel-US-Hamas agreement, it organized a second voyage and is trying to resume and deepen the mobilization. There are many reasons to participate, support it and call to defend it as a battering ram to resume the path of strikes, occupations and actions for the Palestinian cause. Although it is palpable that the mobilizations do not have the same magnitude as last year when they strengthened and defended the Flotilla, at the same time that the latter strengthened them, solidarity has not been extinguished.
ISL onboard and onshore
We are proud of the courageous efforts of Cele and Raul, the presence and activity of comrades of SOL in Barcelona, of the Partito Comunista dei Laboratori and of ArbeiterInnenmacht in Augusta and Syracuse and the militancy developed by the sections of the International Socialist League (ISL) on all five continents.
