Reportage
‘The Flotilla won’t stop’ – activists vow to defy Israel and Greek enablers
Although an intervention by the Israeli army was considered more than likely, no one – not even the most pessimistic among us – would have ever imagined that Netanyahu would dare to strike the Flotilla before it even entered the waters around Crete.
“The Flotilla won't stop. The Flotilla is setting sail again.” This was the rallying cry on Saturday in downtown Heraklion. Since the afternoon of May 1 – after the Greek police escorted us from the small port of Atherinolakkos to the capital of the island of Crete – the movement's headquarters has relocated here. A wonderful community of anarchist activists has taken care of us, welcoming us in their squatted building – which, they tell us, was once a hospital – and, above all, into their homes.
They gave us food, clean clothes and beds to sleep in and, as if that were not enough, they keep thanking us, hugging us and repeating “efcharistó” – thank you.
But in the meantime – and that is precisely the point – the Flotilla must set sail again. The Israeli army's attack put 22 vessels out of commission, some of which, however, were not sunk.
The one I was on, the Holy Blue, was recovered on May 1 off the northern coast of Crete. The Israelis cut its sails and sabotaged the engine, but the hull, despite everything, remained intact. Some of the gear present on board was also recovered, including a few backpacks, some clothes and a copy of Green Parrots by Gino Strada (proof that on our 16-meter boat we only read good stuff).
It is not known for certain how many of the attacked boats managed to stay afloat, but it is believed that most of them did. In addition, 30 vessels managed to escape the Israeli boarding and are currently moored peacefully in the ports of the Greek island.
“Now our plan is very clear,” the organizers say. “It is a matter of getting as many hulls back in working order as possible, reorganizing the crews and continuing the route. More boats are about to join us from both Greece and Turkey. In short, despite everything, the mission continues.” It is not clear how long this “reorganization” will take, but it is certainly going to take at least a little while. Over 40 activists ended up in the hospital following the Israeli attacks and one of them is still hospitalized. Furthermore, due to visa technicalities, almost all mission participants from non-Schengen countries were forced, as early as May 1, to relocate at least temporarily to Turkey.
And then, there are the more narrowly psychological aspects of what happened. Although an intervention by the Israeli army was considered more than likely, no one – not even the most pessimistic among us – would have ever imagined that Netanyahu would dare to strike the Flotilla before it even entered the waters around Crete, kidnapping two of the movement's top leaders. Who can guarantee that Israel will not repeat such an act in the future? Certainly not the government in Athens, which is in fact being loudly accused of providing cover for the Shayetet 13 commandos.
One of the attacked ships, the Tam Tam, reportedly requested help via radio from the Greek Coast Guard on multiple occasions – and, as reported by March to Gaza Greece, this happened while the ship was “within the Greek search and rescue zone.” Yet, despite this, the Coast Guard personnel reportedly “refused to intervene.”
“This refusal,” the activists write, “is not only unacceptable but illegal. Search and rescue operations in this area are a legal obligation of the Greek state, not a discretionary power exercised based on the political alliances of each particular government.” According to some unconfirmed sources, the Greek Navy was also present on the scene during the night between April 29 and 30, but reportedly limited itself to escorting the Israeli vessels.
Supporting this scenario is a post by Tel Aviv's Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar, who stated openly on X that the action against the Flotilla was carried out “in coordination with the Greek government.” If confirmed, that would make this whole affair even more shameful and despicable.
Originally published at https://ilmanifesto.it/le-barche-recuperate-laccoglienza-anarchica-la-sumud-vuole-ripartire on 2026-05-03