The Norwegian ship “Handala” started sailing from the port of Liverpool in northwestern England last Thursday with the aim of increasing the world’s awareness about the Israeli blockade on the Gaza Strip.
Handala crewed by activists from the “Freedom Flotilla Coalition” is slated to arrive in the British city of Bristol on Monday July 10 and stay there for 9 days. A welcome party will be held at the Cascade Steps from 5.30 pm according to the organizers.
Its stay will be accompanied by a series of events hosted by Bristol Palestine Solidarity Campaign (PSC) including tours of the Handala film screenings panel talks gigs and a picnic.
According to the organizers the ship tour also aims to increase popular pressures on the Israeli occupation state and rally European support for the coalition’s efforts to break the sea blockade of Gaza.
Chairman of the International Committee for Breaking the Siege on Gaza Zaher Birawi (founding member of the Freedom Flotilla Coalition) said that the new coalition’s campaign to break the sea blockade on Gaza came in response to calls from civil society organizations in Gaza.
In recent press remarks Birawi pointed out that the Freedom Flotilla Coalition and activists from around the world are ready to repeat their efforts to sail for Gaza to challenge the Israeli blockade imposed on its population and expose Israeli racism and injustice.
He affirmed that Handala would sail to several European ports on a two-month tour with the aim of raising global awareness about the suffering of the Palestinian people under occupation and siege increasing the level of solidarity with Gaza in European societies and putting more pressure on European governments to take action against the Gaza siege.
He pointed out that the coalition would later announce its plan to sail towards the eastern Mediterranean to make renewed attempts to break the unjust siege on Gaza.
