The Forum of European Muslim Youth and Student Organisations (FEMYSO) expresses grave concern over the possibility of attacks on the Sumud Flotilla as it nears Gaza, and we demand its protection under international law. This humanitarian mission carries not only vital aid but a powerful message of resistance, dignity, and solidarity with the besieged people of Gaza.
The world cannot ignore that this flotilla sails as Palestinians in Gaza are subjected to a campaign of destruction that amounts to genocide. Entire families have been erased, vital infrastructure has been obliterated, and an entire population has been pushed to famine and the brink of survival. The international community has a legal and moral duty to act.
We call on:
- European governments and parliaments to publicly guarantee safe passage for the Sumud Flotilla, to intervene diplomatically, and to hold Israel to its obligations under maritime law, the Geneva Conventions, and human rights law.
- The European Union and its High Representative to adopt an unequivocal stance in favour of protecting humanitarian access to Gaza, rather than enabling further blockade.
- Civil society organisations and youth movements across Europe to amplify calls for the protection of the flotilla, to mobilise public pressure, and to refuse complicity by silence.
The Sumud Flotilla is not an act of provocation. It is an act of necessity, in defiance of a blockade that has perpetuated a humanitarian catastrophe. The lives of those aboard the flotilla, and the lives of countless Palestinians awaiting aid, must not be bargained away for geopolitical convenience.
We have seen several governments across Europe take the long-delayed decision to recognise the State of Palestine. The protection of the Sumud Flotilla is the first test to see whether these decisions were merely symbolic, or whether these governments Europe has finally decided to uphold its stated principle as a leader in human rights. If it fails to act, it will deepen. its complicity in the evils inflicted upon the Palestinian population in Gaza and the wider occupied territories.
Silence today is complicity tomorrow. FEMYSO stands unwaveringly behind the Sumud Flotilla. We will not rest until Gaza’s borders are open, its people are free, and human dignity is restored.
Protect the Sumud Flotilla. Protect Gaza. Uphold Justice.