Greta Thunberg Speaks from Aid Ship Heading to Gaza

Despite Israeli threats: “It’s My Moral Obligation”

HAVANA TIMES – As Gaza faces over three months of Israeli blockade, a group of 12 activists is sailing to Gaza to deliver humanitarian aid. The Madleen ship was launched by the Freedom Flotilla Coalition and initially planned to sail from Malta last month, but the group’s ship was damaged in a drone attack. The new mission includes the renowned Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg, who speaks with Democracy Now! live from the Madleen. “We deem the risk of silence and the risk of inaction to be so much more deadly than this mission,” says Thunberg.

Transcript

AMY GOODMAN: This is Democracy Now!, democracynow.org, The War and Peace Report. I’m Amy Goodman, with Juan González.

As Gaza faces more than three months of a near-total Israeli blockade, activists are heading there now on a ship to deliver humanitarian aid. The boat is called the Madleen, named after Gaza’s first fisherwoman, who ran her father’s fishing business after he was injured in a 2009 Israeli attack. The Freedom Flotilla Coalition initially planned to sail from Malta last month, but their ship was damaged after it was bombed by drones in international waters. At Sunday’s launch of the Madleen from the Italian port of Catania, actor Liam Cunningham, known for his role in the series Game of Thrones, spoke out in support of the effort.

LIAM CUNNINGHAM: My name is Liam. I’m from Ireland. The reason I’m here, as far as I’m concerned, the heart and soul of humanity is in Gaza. For me, this attack, this genocide, is not just on Palestinians. It is on the whole human race. These wonderful, brave people who are setting off on this boat, they are heroes. And also, the people of Gaza for the last 600 days are heroes. They are — in my mind, they will always be heroes.

AMY GOODMAN: A group of 12 activists are carrying the aid for Gaza, including the Swedish activist Greta Thunberg, who will join us from the Madleen ship in a minute. She spoke Sunday at the launch.

GRETA THUNBERG: A month after our latest attempt to go on with this mission, the boat was bombed twice. All evidence suggests Israel. And we are doing this because we have to keep our promise to the Palestinians to do everything in our power to protest against the genocide and to try to open up a humanitarian corridor.

AMY GOODMAN: Since setting sail, passengers on the flotilla have faced many threats, including from U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham, who wrote on X, quote, “Hope Greta and her friends can swim!” unquote. The Gaza Freedom Flotilla has also been shadowed by at least one military helicopter and have reported drones circulating the ship. This is Thiago Ávila.

THIAGO ÁVILA: Hello, everyone. This is a new alert. We can clearly see a drone right now to our left. It’s gaining on us a little bit. We share this alert, second alert of the night, the third day of our journey to Gaza to break the siege and create a people’s humanitarian corridor aboard the Madleen. Please share our location. We’ll be sending the exact coordinates.

AMY GOODMAN: In 2010, Israel conducted a deadly raid on another Gaza-bound aid ship, the Mavi Marmara. Israeli commandos stormed the boat in international waters, killing nine people. A 10th died after four years in a coma.

For more, we’re joined from the international waters by Greta Thunberg, the internationally renowned Swedish climate activist known for inspiring the global youth climate strike. In 2019, she received the Right Livelihood Award. She’s also been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize. Greta is speaking to us aboard the Gaza Freedom Flotilla’s vessel Madleen, which is on this voyage from Sicily to Gaza, again, carrying lifesaving aid in an attempt to break Israel’s siege of the Gaza Strip.

Greta, it’s really something to see you on that ship right now. Can you tell us why you’re taking this journey, extremely dangerous, and how you’re planning to challenge the Israeli blockade?

GRETA THUNBERG: Yeah. Thank you so much for having me.

Yeah, as you said, we are doing this mission following one month after our last attempt. Boat Conscience was bombed and disabled. So, that’s why we are trying again, because we cannot afford to give up. There is simply too much at stake. And in times of injustice, as we are seeing now the genocide and blockade happening, we have to do everything we can to demand an end to these atrocities and war crimes committed by Israel.

And for me personally, I happen to have a platform for some reason, and then it is my moral obligation to use that platform. And if my presence on this boat can make a difference, if that can show in any way that the world has not forgotten about Palestine, and to try once again to attempt to break the siege and open up a humanitarian corridor and deliver the extremely needed humanitarian aid, then that is a risk I am willing to take.

And it’s something that we just simply have to do. We cannot just sit, sit around and do nothing and watch this like live-streamed genocide unfold in front of our very eyes. So we are doing this because we are human beings who care about justice. And when our complicit governments fail to step up, it falls on us, unfortunately, to do so.

JUAN GONZÁLEZ: And, Greta, could you talk about how you see the issue of Palestinian freedom connecting to or intersecting with the issue that you’re best known for, which is climate change activism?

GRETA THUNBERG: Yeah. For me, there is no way of distinguishing the two. We cannot have climate justice without social justice. The reason why I am a climate activist is not because I want to protect trees. I’m a climate activist because I care about human and planetary well-being, and those are extremely interlinked. For example, when we see the genocide in Gaza, of course, there are some very obvious links, that ecocide, environmental destruction is a very common method used in war and to oppress people.

But also, it should be much simpler than that. No matter what the cause of the suffering is, whether that is CO2, whether that is bombs, whether that is state repression or other forms of violence, we have to stand up against that source of suffering. And if we pretend to care about the environment, if we pretend to care about the climate and our children’s future, without seeing and acknowledging and fighting against the suffering of all marginalized people today, then that is an extremely racist approach to justice that excludes the majority of the world’s population.

JUAN GONZÁLEZ: And what is the mood aboard the ship? You have participants from Brazil, France, Germany, Spain, and you yourself are Swedish. What’s the mood there?

GRETA THUNBERG: The mood on board the ship is — I would say that our spirits are very high, and we are very determined to continue. So far, we have won over one of the major predicted obstacles, which is to be stuck in port due to the bureaucratic warfare that has been very strong, especially in the past. And the fact that we have gotten over that and that we are out sailing now and that we have gotten quite a far bit is already a victory in itself.

And, of course, this mission is — includes many risks, and we have done many risk assessments. But, of course, we deem the risk of silence and the risk of inaction to be so much more deadly than this mission, of course. And we are 12 peaceful volunteers who are not carrying weapons. We are carrying food, medical supplies and sanitary products and other very needed humanitarian aid into Gaza following the blockade. And we will meet whatever is thrown at us with nonviolence in any scenario. So, we are trying to prepare and to maximize our safety and the success of this mission as much as we can.

AMY GOODMAN: Greta, as you attempt to bring in baby formula, medical kits, flour, prosthetics for kids with amputations, the Israeli military has threatened to block the Freedom Flotilla. The Israeli army says it’s prepared to raid your ship. We know what happened to the Mavi Marmara with the Israeli raid and the killing of nine activists on board. Ultimately, a 10th died. So, are you seeing drones? How are you prepared to deal?

GRETA THUNBERG: Yeah, yeah, we are seeing drones. Last night, there were two different moments where there were drones circulating above us. And we are — we have safety procedures that we will use, and we have different scenarios that we are prepared for to try to maximize our safety in a nonviolent way. So, we are trying to do our very best. And it shows quite a bit that peaceful volunteers who are carrying humanitarian aid necessary for survival is being threatened to be raided, intercepted or attacked. I think that says quite a lot about the priorities and approaches of Israel right now.

But we must also remember that this mission is not about us. It is not about the voyage or the people on board. This mission is about Palestine. It is about the genocide, the occupation, ethnic cleansing and the other methods of war and oppression that are being used by Israel against the Palestinians. And we do not only need humanitarian aid to be let into Gaza. We do not only need a ceasefire. We need an end to the occupation.

AMY GOODMAN: How do you plan to break the military blockade around Gaza?

GRETA THUNBERG: Sorry. What did you say?

AMY GOODMAN: How do you plan to break the military blockade around Gaza?

GRETA THUNBERG: We are planning to continue sailing until we cannot sail anymore. It is very difficult to predict what scenario it will be, but as far as we know, we are planning to continue, to continue as we are now.

JUAN GONZÁLEZ: And what is your message to folks around the world, especially to young people who, throughout — 

GRETA THUNBERG: Yeah.

JUAN GONZÁLEZ: — the advanced countries, seem to have much more interest and dedication to ending the war in Gaza?

GRETA THUNBERG: My message is that right now international law is failing us. International institutions, our governments are failing us. Media, our companies are all failing us. Or “failing us” is a diplomatic way of saying that our system seems to be designed in a way that is built upon exploitation and oppression of people. And so, there’s no one to turn to. There’s no one we can turn to to rescue the situation, but it falls on us to step up, to continue flooding the streets, to continue organizing, boycotting, to speak up on all platforms to try to send a clear message that we will not stand for what is happening right now.

AMY GOODMAN: According to Al Jazeera, Greta, they’re saying, according to flight radar, which tracks aircraft movements, an Israel-made Hellenic Coast Guard drone, IAI Heron UAV, hovered over the Madleen ship. The drone’s deployment was confirmed by the Greek Ministry of Defense. We’re speaking to you from the United States, where the —

GRETA THUNBERG: Yeah.

AMY GOODMAN: — South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham wrote on X, “Hope Greta and her friends can swim!” Your response?

GRETA THUNBERG: We can swim very well. It says a lot about their priorities, that in the face of genocide and systematic starvation of 2 million people, lawmakers, elected officials, whose responsibility should be to serve the people and to protect the people, that they, rather than ending their complicity in genocide and the massive slaughtering of civilians, are focusing on mocking people who are at least trying to do their bit. I think that says everything we need to know about their priorities.

AMY GOODMAN: And finally, your message to Palestinians who perhaps have read about or heard about your voyage, are awaiting your arrival? What is your message to them?

GRETA THUNBERG: My message to them would be that we stand behind you in every step of the way. We are standing in solidarity with you. We see you. And I am also — my deepest apologies on behalf of the outside world, especially the Western world, that we continue to betray you and that more people are not stepping up. But I promise that at least we here will try our very best to stand up for you — 

AMY GOODMAN: Well, Greta —

GRETA THUNBERG: — as well, and to support you in your struggle.

AMY GOODMAN: Greta, we wish you all safety. Greta Thunberg, internationally — 

GRETA THUNBERG: Thank you.

AMY GOODMAN: — renowned Swedish climate activist who inspired the global youth climate strike. She’s won the Right Livelihood Award, has also been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize, was speaking to us aboard the Gaza Freedom Flotilla’s vessel Madleen, which is on a voyage from Sicily to Gaza carrying lifesaving aid in an attempt to break Israel’s siege of the Gaza Strip. It’s day three of what they expect to be a seven-day trip. We’ll continue to follow it.

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