The fishing boat Marianne av Goteborg – set out from Sweden one month ago and directed to Gaza, Palestine – will arrive at the small port of La Cala, in Palermo, on June 15th 2015 in the early afternoon. After few days the ship – that carries a load of solar panels and medical equipment – will join the Freedom Flotilla III to continue together their trip to Gaza.
Palermo is a fundamental stage of Marianne’s journey. To welcome Marianne and the activists on board a lot of events have been organised, and CESIE is pleased to support these initiatives.
On June 15th, since 6 pm, it will be possible to meet the crew. On June 16th, at 12 o’clock, a press conference will be held to enable people to meet the activists on board of Marianne. Relevant speakers at the press conference will be the following:
- Rosario Crocetta, President of the Regione Sicilia
- Vincenzo Cannatella, Special Commissioner of the Port of Palermo
- Zaher Darwish, President of the Palermo Coordination of Solidarity with Palestine
- Paola Mandato, Freedom Flotilla Italy
The fishing boat will set out from Palermo on June 17th in the afternoon: the next stage of its journey is still secret, and will be revealed during the press conference.
The participation of Palermo and Sicily – a region that daily faces the dramatic landing of thousands of migrants escaping from war and hunger – has a strong symbolic and political value. Marianne is a small but important part of an international humanitarian initiative, that makes an effort in order to restore legality and human rights in an area that really needs to find peace.
For more information about the event visit the Freedom Flotilla website
