Queer Irish author Naoise Dolan will be joining the Global Sumud Flotilla, attempting to break Israel’s siege on Gaza and deliver aid to Palestinians. Dozens of boats will set sail from Barcelona on Sunday, August 31, with other vessels joining them from ports around the world.
The mission is spearheaded by coordinators, organisers and participants from the Maghreb Sumud Flotilla, the Freedom Flotilla Coalition, Global Movement to Gaza and the Sumud Nusantara. Together, they are united under a common goal: to break the illegal siege on Gaza by sea, open a humanitarian corridor, and end the ongoing genocide of the Palestinian people. The mobilisation, which includes delegations from 44 countries, marks the largest coordinated civilian flotilla in history.
Dolan has regularly covered Palestine in her journalistic work and on her Substack. Since October 7, 2023, almost 63,000 people have been killed in Gaza, and a famine has also been declared due to the aid blockade imposed by Israel since March.
Sharing details of her involvement in the flotilla, Naoise Dolan wrote, “This is a peaceful humanitarian action, and it is a completely legal response to the crimes of genocide, collective punishment and an illegitimate siege. We are trying to get medical supplies and baby formula to people being indiscriminately bombed and starved.
“If you’re covering this, please remember that the real story is Palestine: the resistance Palestinians have always led, the decades of occupation and dispossession, the current genocide. We are acting on principles of mutual aid and solidarity, not charity.”
In a video message as Gaeilge, she added, “Our own government is complicit in genocide. They refuse to stop aiding and abetting Israel because they’re cowards.”
Dolan continued, “I don’t want you all to be sad or worried about me. I want you to be angry.
“The other participants and I are doing this because our government isn’t brave enough to sign legislation. I’m not brave. They’re just spineless.
“Palestinians are being murdered. And we lose our own humanity if we don’t stand with them.”
Find out more about the Global Sumud Flotilla here.
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