‘Handala’ Boat Naming and Launch

Sailing again For the Children of Gaza 

What: Naming ceremony for  Freedom Flotilla Coalition’s new boat ‘Handala’, and the formal launch of its voyage to challenge and end the illegal and inhumane Israeli blockade of Gaza. 

Who: Fauzia Hussaini-Wiik, Bergen head of Landsorganisasjonen i Norge (LO), the Norwegian Confederation of Trade Unions;  Arne Birger Heli, Captain and representative of Ship to Gaza Norway; participants from on board the Al Awda/Kårstein, Freedom Flotilla 2018; a representative of fishers and farmers in Gaza.

When: April 18, 2023, 17:00 CEST.

Where: Bryggen Harbour, Bergen, Norway.

Why: Most of the West’s governments and many international corporations continue to be complicit in Israel’s illegal blockade of Gaza, and so in response to calls from partners in Gaza the Freedom Flotilla sails again to challenge and end the blockade, calling for full freedom of movement for all Palestinians.
Our 2023 voyage focuses on the children of Gaza and we have chosen to name this boat Handala after the iconic 10-year-old Palestinian refugee child created by Naji Al-Ali in his cartoons about Palestinians’ longing for return to a free homeland.

For more information see www.handala.org/handala/index.html

For additional information, please see freedomflotilla.org/frequently-asked-questions/ or please contact: freedomflotilla.org/media-contacts/ 

The Freedom Flotilla Coalition is a grassroots people-to-people solidarity movement composed of campaigns and initiatives from different parts of the world, working together to end the illegal Israeli blockade of Gaza. More information at freedomflotilla.org.