The coordinator of the Bloco de Esquerda, Mariana Mortágua, currently aboard one of the humanitarian flotilla ships heading to Gaza, stated that those on this journey are not on a “vacation trip”. This statement comes in response to a video shared online, including by the president of Chega, André Ventura.
“At the beginning of this mission, we agreed not to talk about our experience on the boats. Neither we nor anyone here, because we don’t want the mission’s focus to be on our experience, but rather on its goal to reach Gaza and open a humanitarian corridor,” she explained in a video shared on her TikTok account.
She added, “One way to discredit the flotilla and its mission is by claiming that its passengers are on a vacation trip.”
Mariana Mortágua thus described the recent days aboard the ship to “clear up these misunderstandings.”
“These ships on the mission are very different, but none are equipped for such a long and complex journey as this one, nor are they prepared to carry as many people as these boats are carrying,” she explains.
The Bloco de Esquerda deputy further mentions that “there are small sailboats without any comfort that suffer greatly when there’s wind.”
“The boat where Miguel, Sofia, and I are is a bit larger, but still it’s a boat without sheltered places for everyone to sleep. There are not enough beds for everyone. Most people don’t sleep in beds or sheltered places. They sleep on the deck, in their sleeping bags, however they can,” she reports.
Mortágua also notes there is not “enough fresh water” and it is “rationed,” pointing out it’s only “for drinking.” “Everything else has to be done with saltwater,” she clarifies.
“On a boat where, when the weather is bad, things fly around and hit the boat. It’s almost impossible to cook or do anything. We are always getting hit by a chair, whether it’s on the deck or inside. These are very, very small spaces that require great physical endurance,” she shares.
Mariana Mortágua further mentions that no one does this “as a sacrifice or as if it were a punishment.”
“We don’t want to draw attention to this, but we know why we do it, and we do it because we are on a mission to reach Gaza, because we believe it is possible to break the siege, that it is worth breaking the siege. I just wanted to make that very clear. This mission has noble objectives, and leisure travel is not one of them,” she concludes.
@marianarmortagua One way to attack the Humanitarian Flotilla and its participants is to manipulate the purposes and daily life of this mission. The journey to Gaza is not a stroll.
It should be noted that Mariana Mortágua is aboard one of the several ships heading to Gaza with humanitarian aid. These ships carry hundreds of people, including activists and public figures from 44 countries. The humanitarian fleet bound for Gaza is named ‘Global Sumud Flotilla’.
