We left Denia, Spain with full hearts and a renewed determination to share the message of the Freedom Flotilla with our brothers and sisters in France. Our crossing was smooth and afforded our team the opportunity to reflect on all we had done in Denia and all we were about to embark on in Martigues and Marseilles.
We approached the port in Martigues with an incredible view of the crowd waiting to welcome us to shore. With chants for peace, freedom and liberation the amazing people of Martigues, Marseilles and the surrounding area welcomed us with open arms and open hearts. The welcome reception included folks from French-speaking North Africa (Tunisia/Algeria/Morocco) which made for a beautiful cross section of cultures, languages and community.
Attendees serenaded the arrival of the boat with chants and songs of protest and they presented the Handala team with a French flag signed with messages of hope for the people of Gaza.
The Handala crew and participants were welcomed with a speech by Thierry Louchon of the local organizing group Solidarité Palestine de Martigues. Two young men from Gaza, Ahmed, an organizer of Sawt Palestine and Bilal, also from Gaza, spoke to the crowd. Both young men have family still in Gaza and they thanked everyone for standing up for Gaza, for being present. They expressed their gratitude for the solidarity and support of those in attendance as well as of the crew and participants on Handala. They spoke of the importance of the mission in terms of the ship going to ports throughout Europe, raising awareness, advocating for change, and showing solidarity with the people of Gaza and all of Palestine. Other organizers who spoke included Fatima, Hadeeja and Ambrine. Members of the Handala team also spoke to the crowd, including Youssef Sammour, Rana Hamida and Aoife Ni Mhurchu.
Members of the Handala team, including Angeles Cabria and Aoife Ni Mhurchu, Palestinian crew member Rana Hamida and Caoimhe Butterly met with a local Healthcare Workers for Palestine group. This included a doctor who had worked in the West Bank in the ER with a focus on psychological trauma response as well as a Palestinian Healthcare researcher who was planning a program to bring women with breast cancer from Palestine to Tunis for treatment – however the program was not implemented because of the pandemic. The discussion was centered around past experiences of medical facilities and the capacity in relation to the current situation. Discussion centered around what would be most needed at this time – not just the medical equipment and supplies but rather the psycho-social and trauma support that is needed and will be needed going forward. The group also talked about the exhaustion of the health care workers and the pressure they are under in the current situation.
On our first evening in Martigues we attended a movie screening and visual display of the fishers of Gaza and the difficulties they face due to the illegal Israeli blockade. Also shown was a series of videos by Sarah Katz, a Jewish activist who is a member of the French Jewish Union for Peace. The videos document the brutal oppression and violation of Palestinian fishers’ human rights. Sarah spent time in Gaza between September of 2012 and April of 2014 working as a volunteer teacher, bringing support to the fishers and the farmers with Unadikum and ISM.
The short documentary “Six Miles Out” “A Day in the Life of Gaza Fishermen” produced by the We Are Not Numbers team in Gaza, with funds from the Solidarity with Gaza Fishers project of the Freedom Flotilla Coalition highlighted the violation by Israel of the Palestinian right to earn a living.
It featured Muhammed Al-Hissi’s brother and cousin, who take us with them for a night of fishing : viewers can see for themselves what happens when the Israeli occupation forces suddenly appear on the scene.
The documentary about fishers of Gaza included recent updates from Zakaria Abu Bakr & Madeline, both fishers in Gaza. Prior to October 7, 2023, Israel was already in violation of Article 3 of the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea which stipulates that the limit of a state’s territorial sea is 12 nautical miles and Israel was limiting Palestinian fishers to 6 nautical miles. Zakaria and Madeline talked about the dire situation they are currently facing in Gaza and how the fishing limit has been reduced even further and sometimes they are shot.
On Sunday, the team headed into the city to participate in the weekly Marseille demonstration. In attendance was Sebastien Delogu, Deputy of the French National Assembly who spoke with crew and participants about how to maximize impact and what can be done to increase pressure on governments to implement sanctions and a two way arms embargo on Israel.
Members of the Handala team were invited to speak to the crowd at the start of the rally. Omrane Hassan and Caoimhe Butterly both shared messages of solidarity and hope and called on those present to focus their attention not only on putting pressure on their governments to call for a ceasefire, but also to take action within their daily lives by proactively boycotting companies that support Israel and by amplifying the voices of the people of Palestine.
At the rally we were joined by our honorary Palestinian team member Khaled, who comes from an activist family and is keen to continue in the same vein.
We were also joined by Irish politician Grace O’Sullivan, former member of the European Parliament. Grace joined the Handala team for the Martigues to Ajaccio leg of our journey. In her role as MEP Grace was a member of the delegation on Palestine and is an avid activist.
Throughout the demonstration there were poignant and emotional moments as pictured below where all those in the demonstration knelt to the ground for a minute of silence in remembrance and recognition of the more than 40,000 Palestinians killed in Gaza.
Another such moment was when the crowd exhibited joyful resistance by joining in on an impromptu Dabke led by Rana Hamida and Youssef Sammour, Palestinian members of the Handala crew.
The demonstration culminated outside the prefecture where speeches were made by several local organizers as well as members of the Handala team. Youssef Sammour discussed the importance of boycott, sanctions and divestment and he urged the crowd to put pressure on their government representatives to call for a ceasefire and to implement sanctions against Israel. He also talked about the insanity of the ongoing discussions around a two-state solution while the same countries discussing it have not even recognised the state of Palestine and while illegal Israeli settlements are continuously expanding in the occupied West Bank. He added that what should rather be discussed is Israel being held accountable for this ongoing genocide. Rana Hamida, another Palestinian crew member, spoke about the need for communities to come together and use our collective energy to assemble and mobilize for Palestine and she then led the crowd in a song of solidarity.
After the demonstration the team then headed to a “Concert in the Park” fundraising event hosted by one of our former Handala participants Klimont. Members of the Handala team as well as members of the audience were invited to speak and share their concerns and their messages about Palestine.
On Monday we had an open day where community members visited Handala throughout the day bringing well wishes and messages of hope for the Palestinians of Gaza.
Team members were interviewed for three newspaper articles, a radio talk show as well as two television interviews.
BFMTV interviewed Angeles Cabria and Omrane Hassan
https://www.facebook.com/BFMMarseille/videos/martigues-un-bateau-humanitaire-pour-gaza-en-escale/491139136649612/
Newspaper – La Marseillaise
Martigues – La Provence – Saturday 20 July & Monday 22nd
On Monday evening Café Associatif de Martigues hosted a showing of the movie The Tower/Wardi directed by Handala participant Mats Grorund. The animated movie is about a young girl named Wardi, living in a Palestinian refugee camp and how she learns about her family’s history through stories told by three previous generations of refugees.
The movie was incredibly moving and the audience erupted in a standing ovation as Mats returned to the stage to answer audience questions.
Mats spent a year living and working in the refugee camp and explained to audience members that he “didn’t want to be a tourist in misery.” He spent time and made friends with many of the people in the camp and all the characters in the film, except for Wardi. His deep love and compassion for the people of Palestine emanates through the screen and was evidenced by the fact that there was not a dry eye in the room at the end of the film.
Audience member Lina Nouali drew a sketch of Wardi during the screening and presented this to Mats at the end of the film. This extremely talented young artist also presented a piece of her art to the team for Handala which is now proudly displayed in the mess and reminds us every day why we are on this mission. The advocacy and awareness work that the Handala team do, as well as the community and solidarity work undertaken in every port is exactly what this mission is about.
On Tuesday evening the team was invited to attend another film screening, “Au Cinema Le Melies – Voyage à Gaza” (Journey into Gaza)by Piero Usberti where he follows and documents the life of the people in Gaza under the illegal Israeli siege and blockade. The film was followed by a buffet of Palestinian food and the opportunity for those from Handala to meet and engage with the audience.
Once again, departure is such sweet sorrow as we say goodbye to comrades and friends old and new. We take with us the stories, love and hope of those who have traveled from near and far to visit Handala and her crew and participants. We break bread together, sing and march in solidarity, we shed tears and spend time in silent remembrance, we share hope and strategy for collective action and we take all of that with us as we bid goodbye to the beautiful people of Martigues, Marseilles and the surrounding areas as we set sail for our next port of call.