Join Southern Vermont for Palestine and Jewish Voice for Peace of VT/NH for the first “Vermont to Gaza” Freedom Flotilla!

We sail in solidarity with the Global Sumud Flotilla an independent coalition of people answering the call from Gaza. We are united by our belief in human dignity and freedom; this siege and this genocide must end.

When: Saturday, August 30th, 1–3pm
Where: Retreat Meadows (More details can be found below)
What: Bring canoes, kayaks, paddleboards, and even floaties! Please also bring your flags, banners, signs, and kufiyyehs.
Parking: Along Rte. 30 at the Retreat Meadows Boat Launch, or across Rte. 30 at the Retreat Farm (alternatively, as we'll be ending on the other end of the meadows, you may wish to park at, and launch from, the Marina and meet the flotilla en route)

We will gather on the Retreat Farm side and converge near the mouth of the Wantastekw / West River where it meets the Kwenitekw / Connecticut. Watercraft are available for rent at the Vermont Canoe Touring Center, located near the convergence point. Just as the Global Sumud Flotilla is launching from multiple points across the Mediterranean on its journey to Gaza, paddlers are welcome to join the flotilla at any point along its journey to the convergence point. Donations to Gaza Soup Kitchen and 69a are encouraged to support humanitarian aid in both Gaza and Brattleboro. If you're in need of a Palestinian flag, Everyone's Books has them and is donating profits from their sale to Gaza Soup Kitchen and Bridge of Solidarity!

By sailing in this flotilla on the Retreat Meadows, we will stand in solidarity with the Global Sumud Flotilla, and with the Palestinian people who are facing starvation, displacement, relentless bombing, the deliberate destruction of health care infrastructure, and all manner of deprivations daily. As the United States government continues to foot the bill for Israel’s siege on Gaza, its weaponization of starvation, its ethnic cleansing, and its genocide, we affirm every human being’s right to clean water, food, and medical care—in Gaza, in Brattleboro, and everywhere—and commit to action when these fundamental rights are violated.

The call from Gaza has never been more urgent, from the Brave Little State we answer that call.