Democracy Chronicles

My Time With The Gaza Freedom Flotilla: In Gijon, Spain

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The Freedom Flotilla Coalition is sailing in a peaceful effort to break the illegal Israeli blockade of Gaza and for the ideals of freedom of movement and the right to a decent future. The coalition sought volunteer ground crew and I decided to go to Spain to help. This is the first of several articles I will post reporting on my time in Spain volunteering to help on the Freedom Flotilla Coalition to Gaza. The photo essay and videos in this article are from the time I arrived at the Flotilla when it was ported in Gijon, Spain.

Thank you again for all who supported my trip through donations!

I arrived in Gijon, a coastal city in northern Spain, by train in this photo and walking from the train station to my hostel with Barbara Briggs-Letson, Marny Kittredge and Keith Meyer when we came across this painting. There was a lot of support for Palestine in Gijon.
Gaza Freedom Flotilla
From left: Marny “Kit” Kittredge, Barbara Briggs-Letson and I stand with one of the pro-Palestinian paintings in Gijon.

Here is my Facebook Livestream recorded as I was arriving in Gijon and at the dock of the Flotilla:

Gijon Spain 🇪🇸 going to see Flotilla docked

Posted by Cat Watters on Wednesday, June 13, 2018

Click here for a short livestream (before we lost signal) talking with crew member Ron Badger Rousseau or watch this livestream of the port and dock in Gijon.

A group who came to the port to support the Flotilla from the largest trade union in Spain, the ‘Comisiones Obreras’, known by the initials CCOO.
Zohar Chamberlain-Regev, Liliana CĂłrdova Kaczerginski and Javier Arjona speak at our first event in Gijon, Spain

Zohar Chamberlain Regev is an impressive Israeli citizen who was born and raised in Kibbutz Kfar Hahoresh, near Nazareth. She has lived in Spain for the last 14 years and participated in the coordination of Rumbo a Gaza, the Spanish component of the Freedom Flotilla, since 2012. Zohar is the owner of the famous ‘Women’s Boat to Gaza’ known as the Zaytouna-Oliva that was seized in 2016 and still the object of court proceedings in Israel. Currently, she represents the Rumbo a Gaza organization on the “Right to a Just Future for Palestine” Steering Committee and is the Freedom Flotilla’s boat leader on board Al Awda (The Return). A quote from Zohar:

“As a human being first of all, but also as an Israeli of Jewish origin, I am appalled by what is being done by Israel in Palestine in general and in Gaza in particular. We have always been told ‘how could the world be silent during the Holocaust’, now we know how…we have to stand by our Palestinian sisters and brothers in Gaza to save our own humanity. As an amputee, I can only begin to imagine what it is like for people in Gaza who have lost their limbs in the brutal attacks and are still waiting to be fitted with prosthetic limbs, as one of the many consequences of the illegal Israeli blockade.”

The Flotilla’s “Ground Crew” had the job of assisting at ports. They included Keith Meyer and also crew member Ron Badger Rousseau, an indigenous Canadian
Divina Levrini, from Sweden, was on board the sail boat to Gaza and in the image was speaking at the Gijon event. Also on board the Freedom sailboat in this image sitting behind Divina was Youssef Sammour, a Palestinian who lives in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
Speaking with Zohar is Awni Farhat, who is also from Gaza City but living in The Hague, Netherlands
Musa Amer Odeh, the ambassador of Palestine to Spain, is speaking here at the first event I attended in Gijon, Spain.
Also from Sweden, Charlie Andreasson was the first mate and captain on the Al Awda, and has been sailing since mid-May. Also behind him is crew member Bullitt D. Bourbon aka Elle Ko.
Gaza Freedom Flotilla
This picture is from a meeting on the morning of June 14 with city council members in Castrillon (piedras blancas) on how to help the people in Gaza and and end the Israeli blockade. Mr Gomez on the left, Ms Estevez center with glasses. Zohar Chamberlain-Regev is next to Canadian Karin DeVito who is also sailing on the Freedom sailboat. Muaz Rusian from Malaysia is to my right.

The next meeting about gaining support for Palestine was on June 14th with the Mayor of Aviles Mariví Monteserín (center) along with the Captain of the Freedom Sailboat Jena Marklund, from Sweden, with Hrimfare and Zohar Chamberlain Regev .

Shot of the kitchen on the boat named Al Awda of the Freedom Flotilla
The dining area
My bunk on the top right
Here is where I slept. It was very comfortable while the boat was docked :)
Pictures from children in Gaza were displayed around the blockade breaking boat
Flushing toilet. Hold on pretty tight!
Salt water shower. There were showers and laundry at ports for free which most participants and crew used.
This sink ran with fresh water where crew and participants brushed their teeth.
The captain’s quarters on the Al Awda
Land Crew members Keith Meyer and Barbara Briggs-Leston doing the boat’s laundry at port in Gijon
The port in Gijon

There was also a rally and march around Gijon, Spain
Mark Mizzen and Lyn Hurst were among those who came in support of Palestine from Leicester in England along with other members of their District Trades Union Council.

Barbara Briggs Letson was also at the protest. I went to Cairo with Barbara in 2014 for International Women’s Day with what was supposed to be with 100 peace delegates from around the world who planned a peace march into Palestine. We were, instead, detained and deported. Only a handful of us who made it as far as Cairo and the Rafah border from Egypt to Palestine was closed… surprise!

The protest reaches the city center

Two livestreams I recorded of the Gaza protest in Gijon can be found here and here:

My interview with the Palestinian Ambassador to Spain Musa Amer Odeh was a highlight. Video of that is coming soon!
A musical event was put on by residents of Gijon for the members of the Flotilla and to show their support
Members of the Parliament in Gijon visited the Flotilla. Neoklis Sylikiotis is seen here with Angela Vallina who did a leg of the trip with me from Gijon to Cascais, a coastal town in Portugal just west of Lisbon.

Ron Badger Rousseau waves the Palestinian flag in Gijon’ port
Getting ready to depart Gijon for Cascais, Portugal

Saying thank you to all of the supporters we met in Gijon!
The sailboat named ‘Freedom’ departing Gijon, Spain
Barbara Briggs-Leston, Marny “Kit” Kittredge and Keith Meyer were left on land sending their support and bidding us adieu. As the land crew, they were to drive to meet us in Cascais.
Here vegetarian chef Victor Ba of Sweden is seen on board from the Freedom helping out his allies on the Al Awda
Lasse Vestergren Asthøy from Oslo, Norway was the chef on the Al Awda and is seen here preparing our first meal at sea.

For more pics see my photo set on Facebook.

And finally, here is the livestream of my departure:

Leaving Gijon Spain port for Lisbon port by the 19th

Posted by Cat Watters on Saturday, June 16, 2018

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Comments

  1. What a beautiful article you are helping Israel with your loving and compassionate stand many cheers and thanks. Jack Jones

    Reply

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