Greek authorities may charge captain of US flotilla boat

(pic: The Audacity of Hope leaving port yesterday before being turned back by Greek commandos)
Well, it would appear that the Greek government has turned into a colony of the US (and Israel) much sooner than any of us could have imagined. Not content with selling off large chunks of the coast and many of the islands - in total privatising 20 per cent of the countries assets at the behest of the EU and IMF - they are now attempting to show to their new rulers how loyal they are by sending commandos to intercept a ship carrying letters to the children of Gaza. Shame on Greece and its so-called socialist government.

From US Boat to Gaza

July 1 - 9 pm (NYC time)

Sorry for the delay in getting this to you all.

As you know, earlier today [1 July] the U.S. Boat to Gaza - The Audacity of Hope - was stopped by the Greek Coast Guard. After a stand off that unfolded over several hours a 2nd Greek Coast Guard boat arrived. This boat carried heavily armed Greek commandos and this shifted the dynamic. Soon after a decision was made to bring the boat back to a dock in Athens, not the same one the boat had previously been at.

Once docked we learned that the Greek authorities are most likely going to bring some type of charges against the captain of our boat, and that should happen tomorrow (Saturday) morning. In solidarity with the captain, most of the passengers and other crew members decided to spend the night on the boat. We do not yet know what their plans are for tomorrow, or what the next steps in all of this will be. As soon as we find out we will get word to you all.

The good news today [1 July] was the tremendous outpouring of calls and emails sent to the Greek Embassy in Washington, DC as well as Greek consulates around the country. Many people have also contacted the U.S. State Dept. urging them to stop supporting the Israeli efforts to undermine the flotilla.

Please be sure to check our website for regular updates and to sign up for Twitter and Facebook notices.

Thanks everyone for your support and great work today!

Comments

'Coronavirus-free' Gaza prepares for the worst

Until now, the besieged Gaza Strip has stayed free of the novel coronavirus spreading across the world. As the Gaza Strip has been under a stringent Israeli-led blockade for nearly 13 years, the spread of the coronavirus - officially known as COVID-19 - has become the topic of discussion for many Palestinians, with some joking that the blockade was preventing them from being exposed.But as authorities in the coastal Palestinian enclave gear up to contain any potential outbreak, serious questions have arisen about the risks and implications of such a scenario. But given its already difficult humanitarian situation and high population density, an outbreak in the Gaza Strip could prove to be catastrophic, health officials have warned. "If the virus enters Gaza and spreads, it will get out of hand," Gaza Ministry of Health spokesperson Majdi Thuhair told Middle East Eye, as he explained that a severe shortage of resources and personnel would make it near impossible

Boycott of New York diamond dealer launched to protest settlement construction

Members of Adalah NY call for boycott of Leviev for its crimes against Palestinians and South Africans New York, NY, May 9 – On the day before Mother’s Day, 40 New York human rights advocates gathered at the Leviev jewelry store on Madison Avenue and called on throngs of weekend Madison Avenue shoppers to boycott Israeli diamond mogul Lev Leviev over his companies’ construction of Israeli settlements on Palestinian land in West Bank villages including Bil’in and Jayyous. Mother’s Day is one of the biggest jewelry shopping periods in the US annually. The New York protest came as controversy is growing in Norway over Norwegian government investments in Leviev’s company Africa-Israel . The New York protesters also commemorated Bassem Abu Rahma from Bil’in who was shot to death by Israeli soldiers last month during a peaceful protest against the construction on Bil’in’s land of Israel’s wall and of the Mattityahu East settlement by a Leviev company. Thanks to vivapalestina.us (not co

Support striking Palestinian quarry workers demanding their rights from Israeli employer

On 16 June, 35 Palestinian workers at Salit Quarries in Mishor Adumim (in area C, east of Jerusalem, in the Occupied West Bank) began a strike. The workers, organized with the independent union WAC-Ma'an, are demanding an end to exploitation and humiliation, and insist on signing a first collective agreement. Salit Quarries’ main customer is Readymix Industries (Israel). The total reliance of Salit Quarry on Readymix as their biggest and by far the most important customer puts responsibility on Readymix to make sure that their clients abides by labour laws and safeguards elementary rights for the workers of Salit. We call upon Readymix to urge the Salit management to terminate this unnecessary strike by signing the collective agreement with the workers and WAC-Ma’an. Click this protest link to send your message. The text of the message is as follows: I write to you to express my grave concern about the failure of Salit management to sign a collective agreement with the workers of

Search iGaza