Greta Thunberg Joins Global Sumud Flotilla Departing from Barcelona
A flotilla carrying humanitarian aid and activists, including Swedish climate campaigner Greta Thunberg, is due to leave from Barcelona on Sunday, followed by a second departure on Thursday from Tunisia, challenging the Zionist occupation’s blockade of the Palestinian enclave.
In a statement, the International Committee to Break the Siege described the “Global Sumud Flotilla” as a worldwide protest against “the siege and genocide” in Gaza, accusing international institutions of “failure and complicity.”
It stressed the convoy is “not just symbolic boats carrying aid, but a powerful humanitarian message” reflecting global determination to end the siege. “Every ship carries a cry of hope for Gaza and a global voice demanding an immediate end to the blockade and injustice,” the statement said.
The Global Sumud Flotilla brings together four initiatives: the Maghreb Sumud Flotilla, the Global Movement to Gaza, the Freedom Flotilla Coalition, and Sumud Nusantara.
The flotilla is expected to arrive at the war-ravaged coastal enclave in mid-September.
“This will be the largest solidarity mission in history, with more people and more boats than all previous attempts combined,” Brazilian activist Thiago Ávila told journalists in Barcelona last week.
“If you do not actively fight against genocide, … you are on the wrong side of history, and you will be judged accordingly,” Greta Thunberg said.
Organizers said the effort follows earlier attempts to challenge the blockade, including the Turkish ship Mavi Marmara in 2010 and this year’s missions of the vessels Al-Dhamir, Madleen, and Handala.
The Zionist occupation’s naval forces intercepted the Handala aid ship on July 26 as it neared Gaza’s shores and escorted it to Ashdod Port. The vessel had reached about 70 nautical miles from Gaza, surpassing the distance covered by the Madleen, which made it 110 miles before being stopped, according to the committee.
