Free the Flotilla: Demand Canada Act Now

Palestinians have been living under siege for decades, cut off from food, medicine, electricity, and the right to exist freely. Over 2 million people in Gaza are being starved and bombed, and Canada still calls it “ongoing military operations.”

So people from across the world did what governments refuse to do: they sailed with humanitarian aid and solidarity. They sailed because Palestine is not alone.

The Conscience, among many other flotilla vessels trying to deliver aid to Gaza, were violently intercepted in international waters by the Israeli military. Their crew and passengers (unarmed civilians) were kidnapped, zip-tied, and taken to Israeli prisons.

Mskwaasin Agnew: Cree/Dene healthcare worker from Salt River First Nation (NWT)
Devoney Ellis: organizer from St. John’s, NL and a director with the Migrant Action Centre
Nimâ Machouf: political activist and epidemiologist from Montréal, QC
Sadie Mees: master’s student and women’s centre worker from St. John’s, NL
Khurram Musti Khan: organizer from Toronto and Friends of Palestine activist
Nikita Stapleton: teacher, search-and-rescue volunteer, and community activist from St. John’s, NL

They sailed to Gaza because humanitarian aid is a right, not a crime.
They were met with rifles and violence.

Canada’s response? A shrug.
Global Affairs Canada, in an email to Rachel Gilmore (see here) said “the decision to travel is personal” and claimed it “can’t guarantee the safety of Canadians abroad.” Meanwhile, Israeli forces are holding these six and others in prisons known for torture and disappearance.

We refuse silence.

This campaign is about Palestine and about the people from here who risked everything to stand with Gaza when their governments wouldn’t.

We’re demanding:
  • The immediate release of all detainees from Conscience, Sumud, and other flotillas
  • Public recognition that these are humanitarian workers, not criminals
  • Accountability for Israel’s attacks on aid missions and civilians
  • An end to Canadian complicity in occupation and genocide

Add your name. Write your MP. Jam their phones. Let them know that solidarity crosses oceans, and that we see every government pretending not to. Let Ottawa and Tel Aviv know that we see everything, and we will not look away.

No one should be imprisoned for bringing baby formula and courage to Gaza.

Claim space. Create change. Free the flotilla