CAIRO: Freedom Flotilla II – Stay Human initiative faced further obstacles Tuesday as Greek security forces arrested two activists on the Canadian ship Tahrir.
The Tahrir has been “slammed against the dock by Greek Port Police,” the Freedom Flotilla II official Twitter account said early Tuesday, hours before they reported that activists were arrested then assured that lawyers are already in contact with the authorities.
In a press statement released last week on the flotilla’s official website, participants said: “Gaza, we are coming…Despite pressure and threats of violence, flotilla will sail.”
“Unfortunately some of our vessels are facing delays admittedly initiated by bogus complaints from the Israel Law Center, attempted sabotage of some boats, as well as administrative obstacles created by the Greek government in response to Israeli pressure. We call upon the Greek government not to become complicit in Israel’s illegal actions by succumbing to this pressure, and to join France in standing unopposed to the flotilla,” the statement included.
Furthermore, pro-Palestinian activists from an international flotilla who were banned from setting sail for Gaza by Greek authorities occupied the Spanish Embassy in Athens on Tuesday, a diplomatic source told AFP.
“It’s somewhat of a symbolic occupation. There are only four activists currently in the embassy, all of whom are Spanish," the source said.
“The activists want us to ask the Spanish government to put pressure on Athens to authorize the flotilla to set sail for Gaza," the source said.
Thirty, mainly Spanish, activists had met with their ambassador to ask Madrid to put pressure on Greece to allow them to sail, one of the protesters, who called himself Santiago, told AFP by telephone.
The activists had draped a Palestinian flag from one of the embassy’s balconies, an AFP photographer said.
On the other hand, Palestinian civil society organizations and peace and human rights defenders and activists have called on civil society organizations and people of conscience around the world to come to Palestine July 8 “for a week of fellowship and peace-building,” as stated on the website ‘Right to Enter the Occupied Palestinian Territories’ which is supporting the campaign.
Local activist groups in the United States, Europe, North America, Latin America, and other parts of the world have organized delegations and hundreds of citizens will be arriving at Tel Aviv airport on Friday July 8.
Speaking to the press during an event on Tuesday, Israel’s Public Security Minister Yitzhak Aharonovitch commented on the planned protest, saying, "These hooligans who try to break our laws will not be allowed into the country and will be returned immediately to their home countries."
Al-Arish sea port in Egypt is currently preparing to receive an aid flotilla that’s about to sail to Gaza this month should it reroute to dock in Egypt and send the aid on land.
A security officer at the port said that they are receiving instructions from Cairo regarding the flotilla such as facilitating all the procedures quickly by providing the activists with all possible help.
Freedom Flotilla II is organized by 14 national groups and international coalitions, and will carry approximately 1,000 “freedom riders” on vessels from Turkey, Spain, Greece, Norway, Sweden, France, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, Belgium, Canada, Australia, Denmark and the United States.
