Beware the savvy flotilla prep!
Savvy flotilla prep in full swing at Athens port
Non-violence training and anti-sabotage measures are in place for the volunteers, activists and media arriving in Athens as the Freedom Flotilla II prepares to sail to Gaza.
In hopes of preventing sabotage which organizers said docked two boats from the 2010 flotilla, the ships for the June voyage have been moored in undisclosed locations, and press members have been asked not to release photographs of the vessels.
Upon arrival, those registered to sail to Gaza and attempt to break the Israeli blockade will participate in seminars designed by flotilla organizers on how to handle expected confrontations with Israeli forces when the boats approach the Gaza shore.
The six ships that sailed in May 2010 were intercepted in international waters by the Israeli navy in a deadly raid that left nine activists dead.
Lynda Brayer, a human rights lawyer, maintains that the military operation against the 2010 flotilla was a violation of international law.
Speaking with Ma’an, Brayer explained that the men and women on the ships were unarmed civilians. “They are what [are] called in international law hors de combat, which means out of the field of combat. That is the definition of civilians. Because they’re not part of the other side, they don’t fall into the category of an army, so they’re not allowed to be attacked.”
Hors de combat? I don’t think that’s the correct spelling.
Update: Shrinkage in cold water.
