For 18 years, the Gaza Strip has been in a state that can be described as an open-air prison. Two years ago, however, the situation drastically worsened. For nearly 24 months, Gaza’s civilian population has been systematically attacked and massacred in various ways. Today, we face the near-total annihilation of Gaza. The entire region is gripped by famine, and investors are already discussing the construction of hotel resorts following the destruction of Gaza’s population. Meanwhile, Israel bombs neighboring countries such as Yemen, Lebanon, or Syria without further consequences.
The inconsistent actions of states, particularly the German government, have forced the peoples of the world to take action, leading to the launch of a flotilla mission on an unprecedented scale. On September 20, the Global Sumud Flotilla, an international coalition of activists aiming to open a humanitarian corridor to Gaza and break Israel’s illegal blockade of the Gaza Strip, set sail from Sicily, Barcelona, and Tunis across the Mediterranean to Gaza. With dozens of boats and hundreds of activists from over 40 countries, this marks the third attempt this year to break the blockade. However, this is by far the largest attempt in history to breach the blockade by sea. Loaded with humanitarian aid such as food and medical supplies, the boats set off unarmed. The Sumud Flotilla is a coalition of the Freedom Flotilla Coalition, the Global Movement to Gaza, the Maghreb Sumud Flotilla, and Sumud Nusantara.
Since last evening, October 1 at 7 p.m., the boats of the Global Sumud Flotilla have been stopped and boarded one by one by the Israeli military in international waters. By 9 a.m., at least 20 of the ships had been seized. The activists were abducted from the boats by Israel and will soon be detained as political prisoners in Israel. The arrests were preceded by a smear campaign claiming the activists were supporters of Hamas. Additionally, prior to departure and during the journey to Gaza, the boats faced multiple drone attacks and disruptions to their communication and technical systems.
The attack on the flotilla is not only directed at the activists but also at a concrete attempt to break the illegal blockade of the Gaza Strip and establish a humanitarian corridor—where the world’s governments have stood by for two years, watching the murder of hundreds of thousands of Palestinians. This attack is thus also an assault on the people of Gaza, who have resisted Israel’s systematic displacement, occupation, and killing for years and decades.
In response to the unlawful detention and the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, various organizations and activists have united and will begin a hunger strike on Saturday. In Berlin, a coalition of various organizations will therefore start a hunger strike on Saturday, October 4, in solidarity with the detained activists. The organized and deliberate refusal of all food is our means to exert political pressure on the German government. The action is accompanied by the following demands:
- The release of all detained activists of the Global Sumud Flotilla!
- And end of the illegal siege of the Gaza strip!
- The cessation of all German arms exports to Israel!
- An immediate stop of the genocide!
The hunger strike will continue indefinitely, with activists taking turns in three-day hunger strikes. The action aims to raise awareness for the Global Sumud Flotilla and its mission and to build political pressure to secure the release of the detained activists. Furthermore, we stand against the genocide in Palestine, Israel’s illegal war of annihilation in Gaza, and the military and diplomatic support of this genocide by the German state. The hunger strike stands in solidarity with all political prisoners detained in Palestine and worldwide.
Procedure:
We will begin the hunger strike on Saturday, October 4, with a joint press conference. Here, we will present our collective statement, and the organizations will deliver their political statements. We will then be open to questions and warmly invite you to attend.
Throughout the hunger strike, we will be available for press and interview requests. Additionally, the hunger strike will be accompanied by a diverse program, as well as rallies and announcements throughout the city. We call on you to report on the hunger strike and the detained activists and to contribute to increasing pressure against the Israeli blockade and the genocide.
Organizations participating in the hunger strike:
Young Struggle
Zora
Pride Rebellion
Peoples Bridge
TSP – Plattform Stimme der Gefangenen
Palestine Speaks
Signed by:
Global Movement to Gaza Germany
3ezwa
Sonnenschein Antifa
Irish bloc
Mera25
Anarchists4Palestine
Pa Allies
Brick by Brick Collective
YDG – Neue demokratische Jugend
Yeni Kadin
ATİK – Konföderation der Arbeiter*innen aus der Türkei in Europa
Palästina Spricht
Black Student Union HU
Quarc Berlin
Socialworkers 4 Palestine
Not in Our Name TU
Students for Liberation ASH
Gazakomitee
Kollektiv Aufbruch Falkensee
Bloque Latinoamericano
KOP Berlin
Palestine Rising
Brigata Transfemminista
Lilith e.V.
Verband der demokratischen Künstler e.V
Perrxs del Futuro
Cedar Voices Berlin
Shut Elbit Down
Student Resistance Berlin
Besetzung gegen Besatzung
Supplementary statement from the Peoples Bridge solidarity platform:
We have now reached a point where the Gaza Strip is to be completely wiped out. In this war, Israel is killing tens of thousands of Israeli civilians who have been living in Palestine, Lebanon, Syria, Yemen, and Iran in recent years, while at the same time regularly attacking countries in the Middle East. The attacks have made it clear that the State of Israel is waging a war against the peoples of the Middle East by bombing civilian positions, which is contrary to international law.
Even as we speak, civilians are dying in Gaza, while genocide has long been recognized by the UN. Although 150 states have recognized the state of Palestine, the US, Israel, and the German government refuse to do so.
The threat to the democratic people’s revolution in Rojava has once again become a reality today with the overthrow of Assad and the installation of an Islamist transitional government.
The occupation of Gaza and the West Bank, with a new proposal for an unjust peace presented in Washington on September 29, are not isolated incidents, but rather manifestations of an aggressive expansionist policy, as we have seen in recent years in southern Syria and Lebanon, for example.
Preparations for a regional war are in full swing. We are already seeing the first signs of this today. In such a war between camps, it is also a matter of preparing for a coming war in which anti-colonial resistance will have no place. For this reason, the question of international solidarity and united democratic resistance is all the more important today.
What would Kobane or Gaza look like if people around the world had looked away? Internationalism is the slogan of the present time. The oppressed and the peoples of the West Asia region, as well as worldwide, are called upon to act. The Sumud Flotilla is a clear response and shows a stance against the occupation policy and genocide. At this point, we would also like to mention once again the greetings sent to the flotilla by the organizations Kongra-Star and TKŞaus Rojava.
We are going on hunger strike and call on all democrats to appeal to and protest against the federal government, which continues to stand idly by.From Kobane to Gaza – defeat the occupation!
