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On the 9th of June, Greta Thunberg and the 11 other activists aboard the Freedom Flotilla were abducted by the IDF. This outrageous and illegal arrest received no comment from Albanese. Students for Palestine called protests across the country, and just hours after the abduction, hundreds in Brisbane rallied in opposition, demanding their release.
The Madleen set sail on the 1st of June to break the siege on Gaza and deliver aid to Palestinians facing famine. For over two months, no food had been permitted to enter Gaza. Videos from Gaza show women trying to scrape flour out of the dirt in tears, desperate for anything to eat. On the 20th of May, the UN reported that 14,000 babies were at risk of dying within 48 hours if they didn’t receive aid. The siege continued. Israel and the US have now set up ‘aid’ distribution centres in Rafah, where hundreds have been slaughtered by the IDF while waiting in massive lines for food. These are blatant war crimes and acts of genocide. The best that leaders around the world have been able to offer in the face of this glaring injustice are a few words of concern. This is while many of them, including Australia, continue to support and send weapons to Israel.
The Madleen was a brave protest against the genocide in Gaza, and against the disgusting complicity of governments all over the world who haven’t lifted a finger to stop it. The people who are standing up for the Palestinians are ordinary people, not the people in power. As Greta said before she boarded ‘We are seeing a systematic starvation of 2 million people. The world cannot be silent bystanders. Every single one of us has a moral obligation to do everything we can to fight for a free Palestine.’
In this spirit, hundreds came out at just a few hours’ notice to protest the abduction and to praise the 12 activists as the heroes they are. Greta Thunberg and her heroic actions are a guiding light for activists all over the world who are horrified by the genocide in Gaza. We need to continue the fight for Palestine and demand an end to our government’s complicity. After Greta was deported to France, she called on supporters “to demand not only humanitarian aid being let into Gaza but most importantly an end to the occupation and an end to the systemic oppression and violence that Palestinians are facing on an everyday basis.” This is what Students For Palestine will continue to do.
Written by Jessica Abbo
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