French and US activists hoping to defy Israel and breach its sea blockade on Gaza rallied outside the US embassy in Athens on Friday to demand their aid flotilla be allowed to sail from Greece. Around 100 pro-Palestinians blocked traffic outside the embassy, waving peace flags and shouting slogans against French, Greek and US authorities they claim are bowing to pressure from Israel to block the 10-boat mission.
Activists of all ages - including fire-fighters, artists and members of parliament - chanted "Gaza we are coming!" and "Free, free Palestine", as Greek police forcibly pushed them back with riot shields. "We were driven back by the police ... we're putting pressure on all the authorities who are trying to delay the flotilla's departure," said activist and politician Olivier Besancenot, of France's New Anticapitalist Party. A handful of Greek would-be passengers who joined the rally said frustration was rife among the 300 or so activists from 22 countries who are hoping to carry medicines, a fully-equipped ambulance car and cement to Gaza.
News that the captain and two crew members of the French boat Dignity had been beaten up by "about 10 fascists" in the streets of Athens on Thursday night brought more gloom to a flotilla marked by a stream of misfortunes. The activists have blamed Israel's secret service for "sabotage" attacks carried out on two of the boats this week, and said Greece was complying with the Jewish state by inventing "bureaucratic excuses" to keep them grounded.
The Saoirse pulled out of the mission after it was damaged in an attack while moored in Turkey. Technicians in Piraeus port near Athens were rushing to fix the Swedish-owned Juliano, which had also been sabotaged on the weekend. All boats bar one were still waiting for permission Friday morning from the Greek authorities to sail, after complaints were filed against them for a reel of bureaucratic hiccups.
"Despite all the obstacles, all the attacks against us, we will win and we will leave for Gaza together," said Ann Wright, an organiser for the US Audacity of Freedom boat, proudly waving a stars and stripes flag. Passenger Johnny Barber said it was "pretty clear the US embassy is not going to help", adding: "It's obvious they're complicit in stopping our boats." Israel rejected allegations of skullduggery as "paranoid". The foreign ministry accused activists of "living in a James Bond film," amid suggestions that Mossad was behind the theft of passports from activists in Athens as well as reported "hacker attacks" on personal computers.
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