Freedom Flotilla III sets sail from Sweden to break Gaza siege

[Jefferson23]

Wednesday, 13 May 2015


The first Freedom Flotilla was headed by the Turkish Mavi Marmara ship which was attacked by Israeli forces who killed ten activists

The European Campaign to End the Siege on Gaza announced that on Monday the first ship taking part in the Freedom Flotilla III set sail from Gothenburg, Sweden, heading to Copenhagen, Denmark, for a voyage of nearly 5,000 nautical miles to the blockaded Gaza Strip, the Anadolu Agency reported

In a statement issued yesterday, the group said the trawler named Marianne was jointly acquired by Ship to Gaza Sweden and Ship to Gaza Norway and will be joined by other ships en route.

The first Freedom Flotilla was led by Turkish Mavi Marmara ship which set off towards the besieged Gaza Strip in May 2010 before Israeli forces attacked it in international waters killing ten activists and injuring others.

President of the European Campaign to End the Siege on Gaza, Mazen Kahil, said international efforts have continued to reach the besieged Gaza Strip for eight years now.

https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/news/middle-east/18586-freedom-flotilla-iii-sets-sail-from-sweden-to-break-gaza-siege

[oberliner]

1. Maybe they can stop off in Yemen too

Navy has seven combat ships around Yemen as Saudi-led blockade continues

The U.S. Navy has seven combat ships in the waters around Yemen as the Saudi-led bombing campaign there continues, but U.S. troops are not participating in a Saudi naval blockade in the region, U.S. military officials said Friday.

The American ships include: the destroyers USS Forrest Sherman and USS Winston Churchill; the minesweepers USS Sentry and USS Dextrous; and three amphibious ships carrying about 2,200 Marines, the USS Iwo Jima, the USS New York and the USS Fort McHenry, a Navy official told The Washington Post. The USNS Charles Drew, a dry cargo ship, is also in the region.

The Navy regularly patrols the Gulf of Aden and Red Sea around Yemen, but the ships there now are deployed at a sensitive time with the Saudi Navy blocking deliveries to Yemen’s ports. The Saudis began the operation last month in an apparent attempt to stop Houthi rebels in Yemen from re-arming.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/checkpoint/wp/2015/04/17/navy-has-seven-combat-ships-around-yemen-as-saudi-led-blockade-continues/

Americans should also consider boycotting gasoline.

[Little Tich]

2. There is very little information about the Ship to Gaza on the web.

Apparently, their boats were sabotaged in 2011, and they don’t want it to happen again.

Anyway, I hope the boats will arrive safely in Gaza. After all, there’s no good reason to stop them.

[Jefferson23]

3. I hope so too..here is a bit more: Swedish Fishing Trawler Leaves Sweden for Gaza Flotilla

The fishing trawler "Marianne of Gothenburg" left Gothenburg, Sweden on May 10, 2015, to meet the Gaza Freedom Flotilla. The trawler, which has been acquired by Ship to Gaza Sweden and Ship to Gaza Norway jointly, departed for a voyage of almost 5000 nautical miles to eastern Mediterranean and the Gaza Strip which is blockaded by Israel.

The "Marianne" will join other ships and together they will form the "Gaza Freedom
Flotilla 3" in order to perform a peaceful, nonviolent action to break the illegal and inhumane blockade of the Gaza Strip. The “Marianne” will call at European ports for demonstrations against the Israeli blockade of Gaza. The first three stops on the voyage are Helsingborg, Malmö and Copenhagen. Subsequent ports will be announced in later press releases. Cargo Marianne is not a cargo-ship, but she will bring a limited cargo of, among other things, solar cell panels and medical equipment.

In the blockaded Gaza Strip, where the infrastructure has been demolished, solar cells will provide an opportunity to independent local production of clean energy.

The sun can not be blockaded. Delegates in addition to a crew of five people, Marianne will have up to eight delegates as passengers in each section of the route. The names of these
individuals will be announced as time progress.

Passengers In the first leg of the voyage are among others:

Maria Svensson, spokesperson, Feministiskt initiative

Mikael M Karlsson, Chairperson, Ship to Gaza Sweden

Henry Ascher, professor of Public Health, pediatrician

Lennart Berggren, filmmaker

Dror Feiler, musician, spokesperson of Ship to Gaza​​


http://www.truth-out.org/speakout/item/30773-swedish-fishing-trawler-leaves-sweden-for-gaza-flotilla

[oberliner]

4. If the goal is to actually help people in Gaza

The money being spent on this publicity stunt could instead be donated here:

http://www.unrwa.org/donate