FROM GREECE-HELD BOATS TO GAZA

Notes from Flotilla II 

Excerpted by Carolyn Bennett

(1) U.S.-flagged Audacity of Hope Captain Released

Captain John Klusmire had a hearing Tuesday in a Greek court and was released from jail, where he had been since Saturday morning. The captain was told he had no restrictions or limitations on his movements or activities [but] the charges against him were not dropped but we are hopeful that eventually they will be. Thanks everyone for all of the calls and email messages to Greek and U.S. authorities in support of John!!

(2) Hunger Strike Over

Nine passengers who were on a hunger strike in support of our captain ended their fast. The Athens police on Sunday detained them for several hours, On Monday, six people (some others and some of the same folks) were again detained and released a few hours later. Everyone was fine; since then, no one has been held by the police.

(3) Our Boat

The Audacity of Hope remains in the hands of Greek authorities and we do not yet know when they will release it. Several of our people are staying in Athens for the foreseeable future to make sure the boat is safe. While we do not own the boat - we leased it from a Greek company - we feel a responsibility to make sure it is returned to its owner in good condition.

(4) Other Boats

Situations constantly changing so it is possible that some of this information could already be put of date....

(a) On July 5, the Greek Boat to Gaza group held a press conference at the Athens Press Club. Present were Dimitris Plionis, an organizer from the Greek group, Dr. Mattias Gardell of the partner group Swedish Boat to Gaza, Members of Parliament Tasos Kourakis and Theodoris Dritsas 2 MPs, and Green Party representative Iannis Tsironis. They denounced the government actions and policies forbidding ships of the Flotilla to leave Greek ports, effectively extending the Israeli siege of Gaza to Greek waters and outsourcing the siege of Gaza. Also attending in solidarity was MP Panagiotis Kouroublis, who had recently been expelled from the ruling PASOK Party for voting against the IMF austerity plan. He was given a standing ovation when he entered the hall.

(b) The owners and crew of the Greek/Swedish/Norwegian passenger boat Juliano went on board in the port of Perama near Piraeus, and attempted to take the boat to the port town of Fokia, approximately 10 km. away, where they were due to attend a welcome ceremony at the invitation of the Fokia mayor, honoring the passengers and crew.  However, the port authorities prevented the boat from leaving, without citing any justification. In the meantime, two rented boats filled with journalists and supporters gathered at the port to cover the action and to demand release of the boat, and have been confronted by port police. At latest report, the standoff continues, and a crowd of people is gathering at the Perama Port Authority to demand the release of the boat.

(c) Passengers of the Spanish boat Guernica entered the Spanish embassy in Athens  and staged a sit-in, demanding that the Spanish government intercede with Greece to release the boat. They hoisted the Palestinian flag and are refusing to leave until their boat is given permission to leave.

(d) Canadian citizen Sandra Ruch remains in custody in the port city of Aghios Nikolaos. She and one other Suha Kneen, Michael Coleman, Australian Canadian were charged with impeding coast guard authorities by placing themselves in kayaks in front of police boats attempting to stop the Canadian boat, Tahrir from leaving Greek waters.They have been charged with interfering with law enforcement.

(e) The other French passenger boat Karameh is again at sea in international waters, awaiting the other boats in the Flotilla. After leaving France, it proceeded to the eastern Mediterranean, where it sheltered in a safe port before returning to international waters.

Dignite al Karama

July 5 Al Jazeera reports —

“A French boat has set sail for Gaza in the latest attempt by activists to deliver aid to the Palestinian territory, according to a journalist aboard the vessel.

“The Dignite al Karama, which slipped past Greek authorities overnight is, thus far, the only boat in a flotilla organized by pro-Palestinian activists to successfully sail for Gaza, with most confined to ports in Greece.

“The vessel’s passengers include Olivier Besancenot, head of the New Left Party in France, French politician and member of the European Parliament Nicole Kiil-Nilsen, and other well-known French personalities.”

  

Sources

GET ON BOARD THE U.S. TO GAZA CAMPAIGN

VISIT WWW.USTOGAZA.ORG [http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?llr=wumi8ydab&et=1106428978874&s=8691&e=001fYpr9Uj4Ov7FO6DEGy6dCy-2DnOQhAIgvAh3ZbGFnkYYu4TXNPsZB99w-PJzNgaYtsYWNv7UxtUyeGRq-XbVOg6Kk_7OcIdQ8NSHkwMgbeE=]

Link to video footage of last night's activity: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MB3195hOk4Y

[http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?llr=wumi8ydab&et=1106428978874&s=8691&e=001fYpr9Uj4Ov5RFBNddJrFkoCbj_wjqOra-HfhNM8lSlPH89_yjsPAWBNGVoNSchBJMSkOIv41CYhExdcu2CZGj5HHYFQwzHebqF04UMSLySEVRUDNyh-XeOJ3Iex5x-kdl8KpVd2PpIXhuTJ6PXQBzg==]

“French flotilla boat sets sail for Gaza  — Activists sail from Greece as others pledge to continue efforts to reach Palestinian territory with humanitarian aid,” July 6, 2011, http://english.aljazeera.net/news/europe/2011/07/201175114643849116.html

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Bennett's books available in New York State independent bookstores: Lift Bridge Bookshop: www.liftbridgebooks.com [Brockport, NY]; Sundance Books: http://www.sundancebooks.com/main.html [Geneseo, NY]; The Book Den, Ltd.: BookDenLtd@frontiernet.net [Danville, NY]; Talking Leaves Books-Elmwood: talking.leaves.elmwood@gmail.com [Buffalo, NY]; Book House of Stuyvesant Plaza: http://www.bhny.com/ [Albany, NY]; Mood Makers Books: www.moodmakersbooks.com [City of Rochester, NY]; Dog Ears Bookstore and Literary Arts Center: www.enlightenthedog.org/ [Buffalo, NY]; Burlingham Books – ‘Your Local Chapter’: http://burlinghambooks.com/ [Perry, NY 14530]; The Bookworm: http://www.eabookworm.com/ [East Aurora, NY]; LONGS’ Cards and Books: http://longscardsandbooks.com/ [Penn Yan, NY]
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U.S. Government tries to stop “Hope” to Gaza

Edited by Carolyn Bennett

Fifty unarmed Americans (authors, builders, firefighters, lawyers, social workers, retirees, Holocaust survivors, former government employees and more) will set sail from the eastern Mediterranean the last week of this month. Their U.S. flagged ship is “The Audacity of Hope,” part of an international flotilla to occupied Gaza.

Hope

Thirty-six passengers, four crew, ten members of the press will carry thousands of letters of support and friendship from people across the United States to women, children and men of Gaza. The boat carries to Gaza no weapons, no goods of any kind; its mission serves no agenda of any political leadership, government or group; but engages solely in nonviolent action supporting the Palestinian people and their human rights.

Obstruction attempt

This past Wednesday, the U.S. State Department opposed the mission, issuing a ‘travel advisory’ against Americans’ participation in the Gaza Freedom Flotilla, noting that previous attempts to enter Gaza by sea ‘have been stopped by Israeli naval vessels and resulted in injury, death, arrest, and deportation of U.S. citizens.’

A passenger on the U.S. Audacity of Hope, University of Southern California linguistics professor Hagit Borer, said, “The U.S. State Department apparently takes the view that Israel’s anticipated violence against unarmed protesters is an immutable act of nature." This is a remarkable attitude to take in light of the fact that the U.S. government "provides the Israeli government with billions of dollars in military aid and routinely uses its UN Security Council veto to protect the Israeli government from censure in connection with its [Israel's] occupation policies.”

U.S. peace activists preparing to set sail on the U.S. Boat to Gaza today “expressed profound disappointment over the statement issued by the U.S. State Department. Instead of calling on the Israeli government to let a flotilla of unarmed civilians sail to Gaza, the United States government is pressuring its own citizens to refrain from legal acts.”

Sources

The passengers of The Audacity of Hope, http://ustogaza.org/latest/letter-to-obam/

“Support the Safe Passage of the U.S. Humanitarian Aid ‘Audacity Hope’ Boat to Gaza    Letter to President Obama, State Department Officials Have an Obligation to Speak Out Against Israeli Threats to Attack U.S. Boat to Gaza”

Athens: Felice Gelman, 30-694-266-0406;

New York: Donna Nevel, 917-570-4371

Twitter @USBoatToGaza

http://ustogaza.org/latest/state-department-officials-have-an-obligation-to-speak-out-against-israeli-threats-to-attack-u-s-boat-to-gaza/

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Bennett's books available in New York State independent bookstores: Lift Bridge Bookshop: www.liftbridgebooks.com [Brockport, NY]; Sundance Books: http://www.sundancebooks.com/main.html [Geneseo, NY]; The Book Den, Ltd.: BookDenLtd@frontiernet.net [Danville, NY]; Talking Leaves Books-Elmwood: talking.leaves.elmwood@gmail.com [Buffalo, NY]; Book House of Stuyvesant Plaza: http://www.bhny.com/ [Albany, NY]; Mood Makers Books: www.moodmakersbooks.com [City of Rochester, NY]; Dog Ears Bookstore and Literary Arts Center: www.enlightenthedog.org/ [Buffalo, NY]; Burlingham Books – ‘Your Local Chapter’: http://burlinghambooks.com/ [Perry, NY 14530]; The Bookworm: http://www.eabookworm.com/ [East Aurora, NY]; LONGS’ Cards and Books: http://longscardsandbooks.com/ [Penn Yan, NY]
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