French boat Dignité of the Freedom Flotilla II leaves Greece
The French boat “Dignité/Karama” (Dignity) left the Greek island Kastellorizo around 8:30PM local time on Saturday July 16, 2011, heading south. The ten passengers onboard view themselves as representatives of the whole Freedom Flotilla II – Stay Human. The rest of the Flotilla’s ships have been detained in different Greek ports, through bureaucratic obstruction, sabotage, sudden restrictions and withdrawals of flags.
The French boat “Dignité/Karama” (Dignity) left the Greek island Kastellorizo around 8:30PM local time on Saturday July 16, 2011, heading south. The ten passengers onboard view themselves as representatives of the whole Freedom Flotilla II – Stay Human. The rest of the Flotilla’s ships have been detained in different Greek ports, through bureaucratic obstruction, sabotage, sudden restrictions and withdrawals of flags.
The Dignité, sailing under a French flag, left Corsica on June 25th, and has, over the past weeks, been in Greek waters. It has now left– so far without being followed by the Greek coast guard or Navy.
Kastellorizo, in the far east of the Greek archipelago, is only miles from Turkish mainland. A substantial part of Kastellorizo’s population fled during the second World War to Gaza, where they stayed for years. The present mayor of the island, Paul Panigiris, was born in Gaza, and feels strongly, as do many other people from Kastellorizo, for a population that once hosted them and is now under siege.
Among the passengers is Dror Feiler, spokesperson for Ship to Gaza Sweden, also chairman for European Jews for a Just Peace, together with Vangelis Pissias spokesperson of Ship to Gaza-Greece, Claude Léostic, spokesperson of Un bateau français pour Gazam the Tunisian Omeyya Naoufel Seddik from the Fédération des Tunisiens pour une citoyenneté des deux rives (FTCR), Stéphan Corriveau, coordinator of Canadian boat to Gaza Thomas Sommer-Houdeville, spokesperson of Un bateau français pour Gaza, and other representatives for the Canadian, French and Greek initiatives within Freedom Flotilla II. Onboard the Dignité is also renowned Israeli journalist Amira Hass, reporting for Haaretz, and a team from Al-Jazeera TV.
The action of Dignité is not a mini-version of Freedom Flotilla 2, but a first wave that will be followed by others. It is a message to the Israeli government, to the international community and to the besieged people of Gaza: The Irish Ship to Gaza & Freedom Flotilla II are not giving up, until the inhumane and illegitimate blockade of Gaza is lifted.
Gaza, we are coming!
Kastellorizo, in the far east of the Greek archipelago, is only miles from Turkish mainland. A substantial part of Kastellorizo’s population fled during the second World War to Gaza, where they stayed for years. The present mayor of the island, Paul Panigiris, was born in Gaza, and feels strongly, as do many other people from Kastellorizo, for a population that once hosted them and is now under siege.
Among the passengers is Dror Feiler, spokesperson for Ship to Gaza Sweden, also chairman for European Jews for a Just Peace, together with Vangelis Pissias spokesperson of Ship to Gaza-Greece, Claude Léostic, spokesperson of Un bateau français pour Gazam the Tunisian Omeyya Naoufel Seddik from the Fédération des Tunisiens pour une citoyenneté des deux rives (FTCR), Stéphan Corriveau, coordinator of Canadian boat to Gaza Thomas Sommer-Houdeville, spokesperson of Un bateau français pour Gaza, and other representatives for the Canadian, French and Greek initiatives within Freedom Flotilla II. Onboard the Dignité is also renowned Israeli journalist Amira Hass, reporting for Haaretz, and a team from Al-Jazeera TV.
The action of Dignité is not a mini-version of Freedom Flotilla 2, but a first wave that will be followed by others. It is a message to the Israeli government, to the international community and to the besieged people of Gaza: The Irish Ship to Gaza & Freedom Flotilla II are not giving up, until the inhumane and illegitimate blockade of Gaza is lifted.
Gaza, we are coming!
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