GREECE: Eyewitness says Greek coastguard prevented US Gaza flotilla boat from heading to sea

Record ID: 711848

  • Title: GREECE: Eyewitness says Greek coastguard prevented US Gaza flotilla boat from heading to sea
  • Date: 2nd July 2011
  • Summary: KERATSINI, GREECE (JULY 1 2011) (REUTERS) (NIGHTSHOTS) U.S. BOAT DOCKED ON SHORE, JOURNALISTS LEAVING THE SHIP US CAMERA OPERATOR FROM CBS LEAVING THE PORT (SOUNDBITE) (English) US JOURNALIST FROM CBS, BARRY PETERSEN, WHO WAS ON BOARD THE BOAT, SAYING: "The boat made an attempt to leave Athens harbour and sailed approximately 30 minutes and then it was intercepted by t
  • Embargoed: 17th July 2011 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Greece, Greece
  • Country: Greece
  • Topics: International Relations
  • Reuters ID: LVA2M55M5ZXMHA3QJIFQP24MP7MX
  • Story Text: A U.S. journalist on board the US Boat for Gaza said on Friday (July 1) the activists negotiated with coast guards to continue their journey but it was eventually agreed the boat should return.
    "The boat made an attempt to leave Athens harbour and sailed approximately 30 minutes and then it was intercepted by the coastguard. The coastguard asked very, very politely that they stop. That happened about 4:15 local time and now five six hours later the boat negotiated and stopped and the people from the boat spoke to the coastguard officials trying to explain their mission that they wanted to go to Gaza. And after a period of time everybody agreed the boat should go back to the docks and we followed the coastguard back in here," said CBS journalist Barry Petersen.
    The ship full of American activists and several journalists heading for Gaza was intercepted by the Greek coast guard shortly after sailing out to sea.
    The Greek coast guard intercepted the boat, "The Audacity of Hope", with 36 passengers and four crew soon after it left Perama port, near Piraeus and escorted it to the port of Keratsini also close to Piraeus.
    The "Audacity of Hope" left the port of Perama, 30 kilometres from Athens in the afternoon on Friday, but did not get very far before they were circled by four coast guard vessels in the open sea some two nautical miles from port.
    "What is really important is that we all see what is happening here, that we have been held here and this is an illegal siege. Clearly an illegal occupation, the same that is going on in Gaza, illegal occupation right now. So Israel and the United States outsourced the occupation they have given it now to Greece," said US Boat to Gaza organizer Jane Hirschmann.
    The Citizens Protection Ministry, which handles security and policing, said in a statement on Friday that ships of foreign or Greek flags heading to Gaza were prohibited from leaving from Greek ports.
    "We will never give up as long as Gaza is under siege and Palestinian people are not free. It is our responsibility when the governments do not act correctly for the civil society to do the right thing and we will never give up and we will continue to sail to Gaza until Gaza is free," said Hirschmann.
    Just before departure U.S. activists said they had been waiting for approval from the Greek government to sail, and then the vessel hoisted anchor and departed.
    The U.S. activists had held a protest at the U.S. Embassy earlier on Friday demanding that U.S. officials clarify statements that the Gaza flotilla could provoke actions by entering Israeli waters.
    The Audacity was inspected by Greek officials on June 27 after a complaint was lodged by an Israeli group that the vessel was not seaworthy. The organizers also claimed then that Israeli officials have made allegations that the boat was carrying bags of sulphur to be used against Israeli forces. On Thursday the activists invited media to inspect the boat. The ship is carrying 3,000 letters from supportive Americans to the people of Gaza.
    The departure of the ten ships that make up the flotilla from Greece has been constantly put back amidst allegations of sabotage of the vessels and attempts to stop the initiative by the activists.
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