By Hajer M’tiri
ABOARD THE MARIANNE BOAT/BUEU, SPAIN
Dozens of Spaniards gathered on Sunday in the village of Bueu in Galicia, northwest Spain, to commemorate the fifth anniversary of Israel’s bloody attack on the Gaza-bound Mavi Marmara aid flotilla, as the Marianne Boat from the Freedom Flotilla III docked in the village port.
Tens of people, including Palestinians, gathered in front of the city hall carrying Palestinians flags and chanting “Viva Palestina” (Long live Palestine), and “Ayer Sudafrica, Hoy Palestina. Sanciones a Israel (Yesterday South-Africa, Today Palestine, Boycott Israel)”.
The crowds marched through the streets of Bueu accompanied by an orchestra and stopped at the Bueu port to salute the activists aboard Marianne heading to Gaza.
Human rights activists from the world over and generations have embarked on the boat as part of “The Ship to Gaza” Freedom Flotilla III that seeks an end to Israel’s stranglehold on Palestinians.
Marianne is set to join other ships en route and plans to reach Gaza by mid-June.
This year’s attempt is the third since 2010 when nine people were killed after Israeli commandoes attacked six civilian ships in the first Freedom Flotilla.
Supporting the cause this year are Palestine Boats from the Canadian Boat to Gaza, Greece Ship to Gaza, Freedom Flotilla Italia, Norway Ship to Gaza, South Africa Palestine Solidarity Alliance, Spain Rumbo a Gaza and Turkey's Humanitarian Relief Foundation (IHH).
In Bueu, several Palestinian families brought traditional food and served it to the residents of the town and the activists, as an act of “solidarity” and “support” according to a Palestinian living in Galicia.
“This is the least we can do for those brave people who sacrificed their lives in Mavi Marmara and the ones in Marianne taking the risk again, for the sake of our dear brothers and sisters blocked in Gaza,” Sami told Anadolu Agency.
“It is overwhelming,” Sami said with tears on his eyes.
Bueu municipality screened a documentary entitled “All Aboard” directed by Spanish journalist and the survivor in the Mavi Marmara attack, Laura Arau.
“This film tells what happened on board the Mavi Marmara 5 years ago. It is dedicated to those who lost their lives while defending the noble Palestinian cause, [as a source of] motivation for the activists taking part in the Freedom Flotilla III and to send a message to the Palestinian people; you are not forgotten,” Arau told Anadolu Agency.
The event is organized by activists from two Spanish NGOs, Rumbo a Gaza and Pallas@s en Rebeldia, both working to end the blockade against Gaza.
Six civilian ships in the Freedom Flotilla were attacked in international waters by Israeli forces on May 31, 2010, as they tried to break Israel's blockade of the Gaza Strip.
Nine Turkish activists were killed and 30 other people injured, including one activist who died nearly four years after being critically injured.
The raid heightened tensions between Israel and Turkey, which recalled its ambassador from Tel Aviv.
Israel has maintained a tight blockade of the Gaza Strip since 2007, when Palestinian group Hamas took over control of the territory, a move which has ravaged its economy and shaved off around 50 percent off its gross domestic product.
