By Róise Collins

LOCAL activists gathered on the banks of the Lennon River last Sunday afternoon to launch a fleet of paper boats as an act of support of the humanitarian flotilla which set sail from Barcelona to Gaza on the same day.

The solidarity event held on Ramelton Quay was organised by local members of Global Movement to Gaza, the Irish support team for the Global Sumud Flotilla.

The Global Sumud (which means steadfast) Flotilla is a mass international direct action of over 50 boats from 44 countries whose aim is to break the illegal blockade of Gaza and call out the complicity of western governments.

Dozens of boats sailed out of Barcelona and Genoa on Sunday and will meet in international waters with the rest of the contingent sailing from Sicily, Tunis and Greece.

“This mission is being undertaken by ordinary people from all over the world, doing what governments have failed to do, intervene in Genocide,” a spokesperson for the group said.

“It is a high risk operation. Previous Flotillas have been attacked by occupation forces on international waters, the most serious resulting in the murder of 10 Turkish human rights activists in 2010.”

The Global Sumud Flotilla provides greater hope as the largest ever civilian maritime action, with support back up teams in over 40 countries.

The group gathered in Ramelton to celebrate the launch of the Global Sumad Flotilla.

The Irish boat the Shireen, named after Shireen Abu Akleh, the Palestinian Journalist assassinated by the Israeli Forces, contains a team of international legal experts and observers.

The dockworkers of Genoa have pledged to shut down trade if the Flotilla is harmed and if the aid is not given safe passage to its destination.

The group criticised the Irish government, who they say are refusing to honour their obligations under International Law despite agreeing that Israel is committing Genocide.

“Since the Occupied Territories Bill was introduced in 2018 annual trade with Israel has ballooned from a few million euro to nearly 5 Billion in 2024.

“Many named tech companies operating out of Ireland are directly supplying the Israeli war machine with the means to efficiently annihilate the people and infrastructure of Gaza and the Occupied Palestinian Territories,” the spokesperson continued.

The Irish Central Bank, up until this week has been facilitating the sale of Israel war Bonds on behalf of the EU and Irish air space and Shannon airport continues to facilitate US military shipments to Israel.

“The Irish government has refused to sanction Israel.”

“It has blocked and weakened the Occupied Territories Bill to such an extent that should it ever be enacted, it is designed to have no economic impact on Israel.

“The Irish government has effectively put its economic eggs in Israel’s basket while it gaslights the Irish people with words that try to conceal its material complicity in this genocide,” the spokesperson concluded.

The action in Ramelton this weekend was one of many across Ireland and around the world to support the Global Sumud Flotilla.

“We will be holding weekly mobilisations as part of this Global solidarity network to keep the GSF visible and supported to achieve its historic and critical aims,” the group said.