The first time I talked to Ada Colau was there in 2013, when his name began to sound thanks to his fight on the platform of affected by the mortgage (PAH), of which he was one of his spokesmen. This Wednesday, twelve years after that and an Mayor’s Office through, Colau is again at the phone but this time from Tunisia and as one more activist in . He travels with Greta Thunberg and many other people in the family, of Portuguese flag, the first ship suffered this week an attack with a drone. The former mayor attends El HuffPost hours after the flotilla has suffered and shortly before starting to sail again. Tunisian authorities have asked them to move to another port seven hours away. Part of the journey will run at night and predicts bad weather. To all this is also added The fear of a new attack. But in the flotilla nobody gives up. They are still convinced to move forward and open a humanitarian corridor in Gaza.
- In these last two days you have received attacks in two of the ships, where you are embarked. How are you, how are you?
Obviously, we are worried that there have been violent attacks with drones for two nights in the port of a sovereign country such as Tunisia. Not only have they violated the Tunisian airspace, but twice they have attacked a port that is very close to the residence of the country’s prime minister. We are worried, but not surprised because Israel acts in this way. If this flotilla exists, it is because Israel is annihilating the Palestinian people, it is because of the genocide of a country that does not respect human rights. That is why we want to open a humanitarian corridor and demand from our countries and the European Union not to look the other way. In this flotilla we are many citizens of the European Union. We demand that the attacks be investigated against us. Our countries should react.
- In principle, you had scheduled your departure tomorrow to Gaza.
It is still uncertain. After the attacks with the drones and being in a small port near the residence of the prime minister in which they cannot dock all ships at the same time, the Tunisian authorities have asked us to move to another port, also in Tunisia, but seven hours away per sea. Now we are preparing to go to that port where all the ships could be possible. If tomorrow we manage to load all the provisions, we may leave, but navigation will be partly at night and with bad weather …
“I do not understand the moral misery of the living room gatherings and commentators of the extreme right who, without putting at risk, try to ridicule those who do put the body”
There is colau
- Are you afraid that there may be new attacks tonight, even sailing? Israel has threatened to treat you as “terrorists.” Are you prepared in case something like that happens?
Of course, we are concerned that Israel attacks us again, and that is why we demand our governments to protect us. They said they would do it, but the reality is that they are attacking us. Israel has no right to do what he does, he is violating the law. Governments must protect and protect us. We will do night surveillance and we are trained for what can happen. If a drone comes, we know how to react, how to protect ourselves. But do not normalize the impunity of Israel. Governments must publicly denounce what happened and demand responsibilities. They could put maritime rescue boats of the state to protect us, not to participate in the flotilla. Seeing the violence that there is, they could do that.
- What do you think of all those people or campaigns, especially in social networks, that deny the attack or the attacks you have suffered? They say that you have manipulated the videos or that you have even attacked by mistake with flares.
Are you seeing how Israel behaves? Seeing the genocide in Palestine? Are you seeing how boys and girls with bombing and shots are killing and dismembered? I cannot understand the moral misery of the living room gatherings and commentators of the extreme right who, without putting at risk, try to ridicule those who do put the body. Fortunately, every day we are more who fight for a better world that would also benefit them.
- I imagine that you will have seen not only the decision of the Government of Spain (the embargo to Israel for Royal Decree) but also on this Wednesday of Ursula von der Leyen, the president of the European Commission. What do you think?
The PSOE has finally moved and approved measures that we had been asking for months. They arrive very late, they had to have moved a long time ago. That there is a genocide is said by the United Nations, the Court of The Hague … The minimum is that the embargo of weapons, but we also want the genocidal state to be politically and economically, as with the South Africa of Apartheid or as they did with Russia in a few days. This double disgusting scratch is not understood. It seems that since the Palestinians are poor, they are worth less. You have to recover and rebuild the idea of humanity. That is why there is also this flotilla, to denounce that hypocrisy and force countries to modify their hypocritical attitude. The measures of the European Union of Von der Leyen are something, but also insufficient, because they do not break all relations. They are still interested in maintaining a huge business that gives so many benefits to a minority elite, not only technological, also real estate or tourist business.
“I embarked on the flotilla because as a woman, as a mother and as a citizen I needed to do something and, like me, many people”
There is colau
- Why did you decide to embark on the flotilla, ultimately put your body at risk?
When I was mayor of Barcelona I already broke relations with Israel. We did it before the genocide for the apartheid situation. Then we verify the aggressiveness of Israel. They put me a complaint, we received many pressures … From that, the situation has only worse. The same thing happens to me as thousands of citizens who do not feel represented by our governments before the most atrocious and most barbaric that our eyes, boys and girls have seen. As a woman, mother and citizen I need to do something and, like me, a lot of people. Last year I visited the occupied territories of the West Bank and tried to climb in a flotilla in Istanbul, although Israel finally blocked the ships. When I knew that another flotilla would leave Barcelona, I did not hesitate for a second. In the flotilla we travel hundreds of people to convey hope, but we are not just the people who go in the ships. We are not heroes, we are normal people, and we are going to force our governments to move. If they decided, they have ships and resources to take help. We are many more than it seems, we are also the people who for the cycling return to not normalize the presence of Israel or the teachers who occupy the Circle of Fine Arts of Madrid to ask for an embargo. Every day there are more and more people willing to do everything in their hand, because if not, there is no future for our sons and daughters. You have to keep hope.
