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| Freedom Flotilla III participants on the way to Gaza before the Israeli Navy's piracy |
Robert Lovelace and Kevin Neish are two Canadians among at least 16 other participants of the "Freedom Flotilla III" who were kidnapped in international waters this morning. The boat they were on, the Swedish "MV Marianne" was carrying humanitarian aid to Gaza, including solar panels and medical equipment.
Robert Lovelace is a retired chief of the Ardoch Algonquin First Nation and an adjunct lecturer at Queen's University. Kevin Neish is a retired marine biologist from Victoria, BC, whose lifelong solidarity work has taken him to Cuba, Colombia, Central America and Palestine. According to his blog which has detailed the journey so far, his motivation is that "In a nutshell, I just don’t like bullies, regardless of their colour, religion, size, nationality or race." Lovelace has described the situations for Palestinians living in Gaza as living “in the world’s largest Indian reservation”.
The Freedom Flotilla III's website issued the following statement after the Marianne had been boarded this morning (June 29th, 2015):
"Israel once again commits an act of state piracy in the Mediterranean
At 02:06AM
today (Gaza time) the “Marianne” contacted Freedom Flotilla Coalition (FFC) and
informed us that three boats of the Israeli navy had surrounded her in
international waters, while sailing approximately 100NM from Gaza coast. After
that we lost contact with the “Marianne” and at 05:11AM (Gaza time) the IDF
announced that they had “visited and searched” Marianne. They had captured the
boat and detained all on board “in international waters” as they admitted
themselves. The only positive content in the IDF announcement was that they
still recognize that there is a naval blockade of Gaza, despite Netanyahu’s
government recent denial that one exists.
We have no
reason to believe that Marianne’s capture was “uneventful”, because the last
time the IDF said something like that, in 2012, the people on board the
“Estelle” were badly tasered and beaten with clubs. Back in 2010, ten
passengers of Mavi Marmara were murdered by the IDF during a similar operation
in international waters.
It is
disappointing that the Israeli government chose to continue the absolutely
fruitless policy of “no tolerance”, meaning it will continue to enforce an
inhumane and illegal collective punishment against 1.8 million Palestinians in
Gaza. Israel’s repeated acts of state piracy in international waters are
worrying signs that the occupation and blockade policy extends to the entire
eastern Mediterranean. We demand that the Israeli government cease and desist
the illegal detainment of peaceful civilians travelling in international waters
in support of humanitarian aid.
We call on
our governments to ensure that all passengers and crew from the “Marianne” are
safe, and to strongly protest against the violation of international maritime
law by the Israeli state. We call on all civil society organizations to condemn
the actions of Israel. People all over the world will continue to respond and
react to this injustice, as will we, until the port of Gaza is open and the
siege and occupation is ended.
For more
updates visit: ff3.freedomflotilla.org"
The "Canadian Boat to Gaza" campaign issued the following call for action this morning on their facebook page:
"Canadians Kevin Neish and Robert Lovelace have been kidnapped by the Israeli Navy in international waters while they were attempting to sail to Gaza with Freedom Flotilla III. Please call Rob Nicholson the Minister of Foreign Affairs on this toll-free number - 1-800-267-8376 - and demand Kevin, Robert and all the freedom sailors immediate release. Also while you have his office on the line, let them know that when you walk into the polling booth this October that his party's position on Palestine will be a deciding factor in which way you vote!"
You can also tweet at Rob Nicolson using: @HonRobNicholson
Hashtags: #FreedomFlotilla and #SOSFreedomFlotilla are in use
Update July 2nd, 2015 from Canadian Boat to Gaza:
"Israel seizes Flotilla ship to Gaza and deports 2 Human Rights advocates to Canada
Two Canadians, Robert Lovelace and Kevin Neish, who were on
board the Freedom Flotilla III boat Marianne, headed towards Gaza when it was
seized by Israeli forces early Monday morning, are returning to Canada today.
Israeli forces used an electric weapon against four Swedish crew members during
their illegal seizure of vessel, which Israeli government sources described as
“uneventful”. The two were held in an Israeli prison with seven other Flotilla
participants from Sweden, Norway and Russia, until being transferred to Ben
Gurion Airport late Wednesday. They are expected to land at Pearson
International Airport at 6:55 pm,Thursday July 2.
Neish, a retired marine engineer from Victoria B.C., had
been sailing with the Marianne since it left Sweden in early May. Lovelace, a
Queen’s university professor and member of the Ardoch Algonquin First Nation,
joined the ship at its last port of call, Messina in Sicily on June 19.
“We are very happy to welcome home our two friends from
their mission but we remain concerned about the six Swedish activists still in
prison in Israel,” commented David Heap, spokesperson for the Canadian Boat to
Gaza Campaign. “Even more than freedom for our international friends, we want
to see the world demand freedom of movement for the 1.8 million Palestinians
living in the open-air prison of Gaza.”
Ehab Lotayef, a Montreal engineer and writer, and Christian
Martel, a retired trade-unionist from Québec, were among the internationals who
participated in Freedom Flotilla III. They were on a different boat, the
Rachel, which returns to Athens today. “Now we are focusing on future Flotillas
to continue to challenge the blockade of Gaza,“ comments Lotayef. “The blockade
must end completely and Palestinians must regain their full rights."
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