Tens of thousands of people mobilized around the world within hours of news breaking that Israel had attacked the Global Sumud Flotilla and kidnapped dozens of activists. Rallies took place in Malaysia, Argentina, Colombia, Türkiye, Honduras, and United States, among others. In Europe, flash protests erupted across Italy, Spain, France, Germany, Belgium, and Greece. Marchers converged on foreign ministries and government headquarters with common demands: an end to the genocide in Gaza and support for the flotilla’s mission.

Networks with members on board demanded their immediate release, denouncing blatant violations of international law. ‘The People’s Health Movement (PHM) considers the interception of the flotilla and the detention of Dr. Aziz Rhali, a member of the movement, to be a flagrant violation of international human rights law and international humanitarian law,’ PHM stated.

Since late August, around 50 vessels with hundreds of international activists – including journalists, health workers, and lawyers – have been sailing to break Israel’s illegal sea blockade of Gaza. They were carrying tons of vital supplies, such as food and medicine, for a population subjected to two years of relentless genocide.

Read more: Global Sumud Flotilla intercepted

In Italy, the response was immediate and massive. For weeks, trade unions and grassroots movements have been circulating a call to “block everything” if the flotilla was assaulted, and cities across the country erupted. In Genoa, citizens poured into the port after workers’ collectives renewed their call for blockades. Students and workers rallied together in Bologna, Brescia, Milan, Rome, and Turin. In Naples, demonstrators occupied the central railway station, protesting Israel’s aggression against the flotilla, which includes Italian participants.

“When a state like Israel attacks a humanitarian mission supported by dozens of organizations around the world, it violates the moral and political sovereignty of Italy and the entire international community,” the grassroots union Unione Sindacale di Base (USB) stated in its reaction.

The union followed through on its earlier promises, announcing a nationwide general strike for October 3. “From this moment on, we call upon every worker, every citizen, every democratic and solidarity-based organization to block everything: production, logistics, transport, education, services, in protest against Israel’s war crimes and the complicity of Western governments, Italy included, that continue to send arms and political support to the Zionist regime,” the union wrote.

Other unions in the region soon followed. One of Italy’s largest confederations, CGIL, confirmed it would also strike on Friday. In Spain, sectoral chapters of the General Confederation of Labor (CGT) announced industrial action in solidarity with the flotilla. In France and Greece, messages of solidarity with the flotilla appeared during union-led protests already underway against austerity and anti-worker reforms.

Left parties demand real sanctions against Israel

Left parties and figures also rallied behind the flotilla. Activists from the Workers’ Party of Belgium (PTB-PVDA), Potere al Popolo, and La France Insoumise took to the streets on Wednesday night. They demanded the immediate release of the flotilla’s members and urged governments to sanction Israel.

“Among the activists illegally detained are Belgian citizens,” PTB-PVDA Secretary General Peter Mertens warned on Wednesday. “The Belgian government must protect them by issuing a strong protest against Israel. Additionally, it must increase pressure to stop the genocide: total boycott, divestment, and sanctions.” British MP Jeremy Corbyn similarly condemned the assault, writing: “History will side with the flotilla – and their bravery will only inspire more people to join our global movement for Palestine.”

Governments offer vague response, repression

However, the flotilla’s bravery apparently did not impress most European governments. Their responses to the kidnapping of dozens of their own citizens, including elected parliamentarians, were timid at best. Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, whose administration had earlier dispatched a navy vessel to accompany the flotilla, promised diplomatic protection for Spanish nationals detained by Israel – without clarifying why a Spanish ship was sent in the first place if Israel was still allowed to violently attack civilian boats in international waters. The Belgian and Spanish governments also summoned Israeli diplomats in reaction to the attack on the flotilla.

In Italy and France, official reactions got more perplexing, as Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot essentially blamed the activists for the assault. Meloni basically implied the flotilla had it coming after refusing to transfer its cargo to international organizations – groups that have been blocked from delivering aid to Gaza by Israel for months – and jeopardizing US President Donald Trump’s so-called peace plan. In the same statement, she also dismissed the planned general strike, suggesting it would only create “widespread discomfort.”

Some authorities, including those in Italy and Malaysia, deployed police against the protests. Two people were arrested at a demonstration in front of the US embassy in Malaysia, prompting the Socialist Party of Malaysia and other organizations to react. “The force used by the police was unwarranted – arising from the conditions the police themselves created,” their statement reads. “Both protesters were dragged and restrained by multiple police officers, held by both arms and around the neck, before being handcuffed.”

Read more: For Malaysians, Global Sumud Flotilla brings hope of peace to Gaza

Outside Europe, however, the picture was different. South African President Cyril Ramaphosa demanded the immediate release of all those kidnapped from the flotilla. “The interception of the flotilla in international waters is contrary to international law and violates the sovereignty of every nation whose flag was flown on the dozens of vessels in the flotilla,” Ramaphosa wrote on social media.

Colombian President Gustavo Petro went further, announcing both the suspension of Colombia’s free trade agreement with Israel and the expulsion of all Israeli diplomats. “The head of state warned that this is a new international crime executed by the Israeli government of Benjamin Netanyahu,” Petro’s office stated, adding that he had appealed to other countries and international bodies to act under international law and demand the release of the activists.

The post Protests erupt after Israeli attack on Global Sumud Flotilla appeared first on Peoples Dispatch.

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