July 3, 2011« Lopez to Gaza
It is July 3rd, 2011 and we are stopped in Greece. Our ship’s captain is in jail facing felony charges and our American officials here in Athens are intentionally looking the other way. It would appear on the surface that Israel has won their political war against the world’s freedom flotilla. But it’s not over.
The people of Greece have not finished their complaint. They have shared with us stories about how their national banks are being operated like a military state. They are done with dealing with other rich countries waging bets on their economy’s future. They are tired of being forced to pay a growing debt that is manufactured by greedy corporate loop holes. They refuse to be prisoners on the job where the loss of wages and cruel intimidation tactics keep employees in line. The people of Greece have had enough.
What’s beautiful about the people of Greece is that they are still neighborly. They understand that their history of momentous philosophy and ancient democracy had made them responsible to be a light of freedom and justice for their neighbors and rest of the world.
The people of Greece know about Palestine and the suffering that occurs everyday in the holy land by the hand of dehumanizing Zionist ideology. In the midst of their political and economic struggle they still have room for the least of our world, the survivors of a new holocaust….the children of Palestine.
Today, the people of Greece have made space for Palestine in the middle of their moment. Today Syntagma Square will be the center of the freedom flotilla and the illegal Israeli blockade of Gaza will have center stage in the eyes of all solidarity. The Audacity of Hope will be ushered to the forefront of their cause. Why?
Because we are all the same. We are one tribe. When one part of the Earth is oppressed, we are all oppressed. When parents are beaten in front of their children, we all see it and feel it. When a child’s bedroom is destroyed by a missile, we know that could be our child. When innocent people are made homeless and murdered, that could be my home and my family that is murdered.
Tonight Syntagma Square will be the light of the world for all to see. The people of Greece will show us what it means to join hands and link hearts to exist in ultimate solidarity with the beautiful people of Palestine.
They will take our modest boat and voice their loud rejection of the world’s ruling class who uses their great wealth and power to intimidate a small group of peaceful people. They will join with our protest to free our jailed captain from the abusive acts of authority who have used bogus charges and misinterpretations of the law to detain him.
Tonight the people of Greece will reiterate their long standing alliance with the people of Palestine by demanding to let our US Boat sail to Gaza.
The United States, Israel and any other government that believes in using wealth, military force and political blackmail needs to be put on notice:
“The Citizens of the World are rising far above your reach. You may intimidate us with your unjust laws, destroy our lands with your brutality, and murder us with your bullets but you can never touch our spirit of freedom.”
“Tunisia, Egypt and now Syntagma are transcending far above your reach of control. The masses are coming to rescue the least of our societies from your greed and cowardice. The mighty people of good conscience are taking a world-wide stand on every ground making it open, free and holy for all people.”
“Israel, you are losing this war, you are being swallowed up by fear and the American foreign policy that you hide behind will no longer protect you. Get out of the holocaust business and resurrect yourselves with love, mercy and compassion for all people.”
“Go to your Palestinian sisters and brothers and reconcile yourselves before it’s too late for your soul. Be at peace with your neighbor and free all your children from a future of heartbreak and destruction.”
“Israel, it’s your choice now: We, the Citizens of the World, have decided to stop your soulless brutality and cruel abuses against humanity. Turn from your wicked ways and love your neighbor, the future of your nation depends on it. For God does not recognize your right to exist if your neighbor’s blood spills in the streets by your own hand.”
“Quickly, transform your heart of stone into a heart of flesh. Let the voice of Syntagma cause your soul to feel the Joy Spring of compassion and may the freedom flotilla set you free and chase all your fears into the sea of forgetfulness. Let love, once again, rule your hearts for the sake of all people.”
Go to Gaza with Love.
Source & More at the Weblog of Lopez to Gaza on board of #flotilla2