Global Sumud Flotilla Confirms Programme Details and Media Access in Advance of Sicily Launch

Barcelona / Brussels / Rome / Sicily – As the first boats set sail from Barcelona heading east, accompanied by Open Arms and Greenpeace's Arctic Sunrise, a week of mobilisations begins both inside and beyond Italy. Public events, press conferences, institutional meetings, cultural initiatives and more will take place in Augusta, Catania, Castellammare del Golfo, Siracusa and Rome (Italy), as well as in Brussels (Belgium). At every stage, new boats and new participants from around the world will join the mission.

These events will take place against a backdrop of rising political tensions in Italy and Europe, as the international diplomatic landscape shifts amid mounting political pressure, parliamentary questions, and the recent decisions of the Italian government regarding military cooperation with the Israeli regime.

In this context, every port the flotilla passes through brings with it visibility, participation and political consequences, as the flotilla enters the next phase leaving Italy from Siracusa on April 24.

Follow the vessels' movements on the Flotilla Tracker.

PORT PRESS DAYS BEFORE DEPARTURE

Friday, April 17 – 10:00
Preparations
Location: Porto Xiphonio Augusta, SIRACUSA

Accredited press will have access to:

• Photos and videos of the boats and the dock
• One-to-one interviews with flotilla delegates and participants
• Policy statements from the Italian delegation

Tuesday, April 21 – 10:00
Loading of the boats
Location: Porto Xiphonio Augusta, SIRACUSA

Accredited press will have access to:

• Photos and videos of humanitarian aid being loaded onto the boats
• One-to-one interviews with delegates and participants of the flotilla
• Policy statements from the Italian delegation

Details of the initiatives and speeches, along with the timetable, will be provided in forthcoming communications.

PRE-LAUNCH EVENTS

Friday, April 17 – 17:30
Public event, including musical performances
Location: Piazza dei Libri (P.za Federico di Svevia), CATANIA

• Speeches and contributions with Tony La Piccirella, Maya Issa, Antonio Mazzeo, Triestino Mariniello, Luca Casarini, Moni Ovadia
• Expo_x_palestine, La Flotta dei diritti (Arcigay Catania)
• Live jam session from Gaza, with Al Haj – Rola Dalloul – Ahmed Muin (Gaza Bird Singing)
• Concert/performance with Brando Madonia, Nico Arezzo, Alessio Di Modica, Babilon suite, Lucia Sardo, Pasquale Cacciola

Saturday, April 18 – 17:30
Press conference, farewell to the boats, city march
Location: Porto di Catania (Blu Marina) – Via Cardinale Dusmet, CATANIA

Farewell to the Flotilla boats from the port, press conference and city march, with Alfonso Di Stefano (Catania Committee in Solidarity with the Palestinian People), Simone D'Aversa (GAP), Tony La Piccirella, Dario Salvetti (GKN), Abdul Rahim (GSF Malaysia doctor).

Sunday, April 19 – 15:00
Farewell to the boats, talks, musical and performance events
Location: P.le Stenditoio (Cala Marina), CASTELLAMMARE DEL GOLFO

• Speeches and contributions with Maria Elena Delia, Yazan Eissa, Luca Casarini, Fausto Melluso, Vito Raspanti, Domenico Surdi, Alessandra Siurba, and others
• With the participation of Casa Memoria Peppino Impastato, Sequos, Assemblea Palermo per la Palestina, Mediterranea, Collettivo Accura, CARC, Contadinazioni, NO F35, Rifai Sicilia, Alcamo Book Festival, Muschio Ribelle, Alcamo Bene Comune, Cinisi per Gaza, Circolo Peppino Impastato, Latino Americanxs, Migrantes en lucha, Liberameliberatutti and others
• Musical and performance interludes with Cico Messina, Chris Obhei, Fabrizio Malerba, Yannik Tiolo, Toti Castronovo, Jerrusa Barros, Margherita Riotta (Famiglia del Sud), Roberta Prestigiacomo, Daniel Cora (Tangram Koraoud), Salvatore Maria Ruisi, Maria La Bianca, Sebastian Torres

INSTITUTIONAL MEETINGS IN ROME & BRUSSELS

Wednesday, April 22 – 14:30 – 15:30
Press Conference at the Chamber of Deputies
Location: Chamber of Deputies, ROME

Global Sumud Italia at the Chamber of Deputies to present the stages of the mission and receive an update from the Italian legal team regarding the case concerning the abuses suffered by participants in the GSF Autumn 2025 mission, and the ongoing parliamentary pressure regarding military, economic and diplomatic complicity between the Italian government and the State of Israel.

Wednesday, April 22 – 9:00 – 17:30
Global Sumud Parliamentary Congress
Location: Brussels (Belgium), BRUSSELS

The inaugural congress of the Global Sumud Flotilla focuses on the Brussels Declaration, which represents an immediate humanitarian need and a historic political stance. At its heart is the call to establish a humanitarian maritime corridor recognised by the United Nations and grounded in international law.

The Brussels Declaration is based on:

• Right of access: the right of the Palestinian people to freely access their own waters and territory and to receive essential supplies continuously and without hindrance
• The right to self-determination: the right of the Palestinian people to lead their own reconstruction and pursuit of justice, free from the imposition of external forces
• Rejection of impunity: the rejection of the precedent that governments can act with impunity

Speakers will include, among others, Francesca Albanese (UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Palestinian territories occupied since 1967 – OHCHR), Michael Fakhri (UN Special Rapporteur on the right to food, Human Rights Council), Pedro Arrojo-Agudo (UN Special Rapporteur on the human right to safe drinking water and sanitation), Surya Deva (UN Special Rapporteur on the right to development), Dr Mustafa Barghouti (Secretary-General of the Palestinian National Initiative), Rima Hassan (Member of the European Parliament – France), Cecilia Strada (Member of the European Parliament – Italy), Saif Abukeshek, Annalisa Corrado (Member of the European Parliament – Italy), Benedetta Scuderi (Member of the European Parliament – Italy).

Details, agenda and timetable available at: gscongress.org

OFFICIAL DEPARTURE FROM SIRACUSA

Thursday, April 23 – 17:00
Arrival of the boats, press conference, concert and talks.
Location: Marina di Siracusa, SIRACUSA

The boats of the Global Sumud Flotilla arriving from Barcelona will join the Italian fleet and dock at the port of Siracusa. Following a public press conference featuring speeches by leaders and organisers, celebrations and a concert will be held to wish the mission participants fair winds.

Accredited press will have access to:

• A press area during the conference
• Opportunities for one-to-one interviews with organisers near the quay

Friday, April 24 – 10:00
Official departure of the fleet for Gaza
Location: Marina di Siracusa, SIRACUSA

The boats will set sail for Gaza, with the aim of breaking the siege and establishing a permanent humanitarian corridor. The event will be open to the public.

Details of the initiatives and speeches, along with the timetable, will be provided in forthcoming communications.

MEDIA ACCREDITATION & CONTACT

Email: media@globalsumudflotilla.org
Signal / WhatsApp: +44 1414 620 950
Website: globalsumudflotilla.org