Fifty
years ago, freedom riders traveled by bus into the U.S. South. Now
American freedom riders are joining their allies from around the world
on a flotilla bound for Gaza. The U.S. ship is called The Audacity of Hope.
The
heroes on this ship have pledged to sail unarmed and to refuse to use
violence. The Israeli military, which continues to illegally blockade
Gaza, causing endless suffering to the Gazan people, has pledged to use
violent force to prevent the ships getting through.
Last May, the Israeli military, in international waters, illegally boarded another ship on a similar mission, the Mavi Marmara, killing nine people, including one American, and wounding dozens. Israel claimed, in its defense, that the Mavi Marmara carried no humanitarian aid, that all such supplies were on other ships in the flotilla.
The 36 American passengers (plus 4 crew and 10 members of the press) on board The Audacity of Hope have publicly stated
that they will carry only letters: "thousands of letters of support and
friendship from people throughout the U.S. to the women, children and
men of Gaza."
This selfless courage will come as no surprise to
anyone familiar with these freedom riders. Some of the ones I know best
and am deeply concerned for the safety of are Ann Wright, Ray McGovern,
Kathy Kelly, Medea Benjamin, Paki Wieland. These are people who
habitually take risks for others. One comes to expect it of them, but
also to expect them to always be there doing it. Robert Naiman will be
on this ship, and Alice Walker, and Hedy Epstein. Below are videos of
17 of these heroes explaining why they are going.
The Freedom
Riders of 1961 asked the U.S. government to protect them. Its efforts
to do so were too little too late. The Freedom Riders of 2011 have also
asked the U.S. government to protect them, and thus far received no
such commitment. We can ask the U.S. State Department to ask Israel
(recipient of billions of dollars in U.S. weaponry every year) not to
assault this flotilla, and to allow those transporting aid and letters
of good will to reach the suffering people of Gaza unharmed.
CONTACT THE U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton,
You have urged our fellow citizens not to participate in an unarmed nonviolent humanitarian mission to Gaza by sea.
But have you urged Israel not to interfere with ships in international waters?
Have you urged Israel not to harm unarmed activists engaged in an actual humanitarian mission, the very thing your government pretends its wars are?
Have you urged Israel to lift the illegal and murderous blockade of Gaza?
We encourage you to take these steps to ensure the safety of Americans on board The Audacity of Hope sailing for Gaza in the Freedom Flotilla. And we encourage you to pressure Israel in the way that only a nation providing Israel with billions of dollars worth of weapons every year can, by threatening to cut them off.
We look forward to your response.
In Peace,
_____________________________
ADD YOUR NAME TO THE PETITION WHICH WILL BE DELIVERED TO SECRETARY CLINTON
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